A Moment in Time
by Rose Garden Twilight
Summary: Adrien's jaw dropped from slight bewilderment at why such a gorgeous girl would randomly sit down at his table and start talking away. The only problem? His name wasn't Adam. AU- Alya sets Marinette up on a blind date with a guy named Adam, but after a phone incident and the time change, she ends up crashing at a different table thinking it's her date.
1. Chapter 1

**A.n.- Two one-shots in one day, what? ( If you haven't read Birds of a Feather and you like Nathalie's character then go read it ). I've actually been working on this story on and off since last week? Finally finished and posting today because tomorrow is daylight savings time so it seemed fitting. ( Although this takes place in the Spring time change). Make sure you read the end author's note if you want to see more of this story after reading it, it's very important. Other than that not much for you, this is AU, no superpowers but I do find a way to incorporate our two favorite Kwamis ( just not this chapter).**

 **Edit*- This story was inspired by a movie called An Hour Behind. And although inspired, it will have several major changes from the movie.**

 **2\. You all rock. Will definitely expand this story. Heard you loud and clear I'll figure plot lines for this tomorrow**.

* * *

 **A Matter of Time**

"Come on Marinette, it's one date," Marinette couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend's excessive begging and slid a new batch of cakes in the oven. "I didn't even pick him this time, he's Nino's old college friend. What's the worst that could happen?" Alya continued as she swiped a chocolate chip cookie from the display.

"My best friend eats all my product, and then I won't have any left for paying customers," Marinette shot a look at her best friend who responded with a sheepish smile.

"If you bring some of your cookies to your date with Adam, you'll bag him for sure."

"How many people do you know that bring baked goods on a blind date Alya?" Her best friend's intentions were pure, Alya only wanted to see her happy, but a blind date- that was a disaster waiting to happen.

"You're showing all of your assets to prove you are the whole package." Marinette couldn't hold back a snort filled laugh.

"I'm starting to wonder what you think will happen on this date."

"You'll love him Marinette, he's a lawyer, but he handles most of the pro bono cases in his firm. He's a cat person; which I know is in the plus column for you. He's drop dead gorgeous and has the greenest eyes."

"I hope those weren't Nino's exact words because otherwise you two have other things to discuss," Marinette teased.

"Please, just one date. You know I only want you to be happy, and you can't say you had the best love life over the past couple years; between Kim, Nathan"-

"I get it," Marinette snapped. She knew exactly how those dates went, no need to rub salt in the wound.

"Marinette, I'm convinced you try and find something wrong with every person interested in you."

"I've been busy with the bakery, opening a second store is within my grasp. I can't give up now."

"No one is saying give up. It's one date tomorrow night," her best friend offered.

"You're not going to give up on this, are you?"

"I learned my stubbornness from one of my best friends." Alya beamed in response.

"Fine. One date, but in the morning. That way I can route back to the bakery if things don't go well and bake a couple of batches and not waste the day."

"You won't regret this!" Alya threw her arm around in a tight hug. "I'm going to go tell Nino to set it up and have the details for you tonight. Promise me you won't be late. We both know how you are in the mornings. Don't forget to change your clock tonight." She called over her shoulder as the last reminder.  
Marinette rolled her eyes once more, Alya was as subtle as a truck. As much as she appreciated it, the level of faith in her was almost insulting. Her phone would automatically switch to the new time, there wasn't any need to adjust anything. The oven's timer caught her attention, and she rushed so her cakes wouldn't burn.

Nerves kicked in as she realized what she's done. What was she thinking to agree to a blind date? The regular dates that she set up ended with disaster.

She only made it through one date with Kim. He tried to carry the conversation the best he could, but with her limited knowledge of sports, the topics circled back around to himself. Marinette always wanted to look on the bright side, so even though she wouldn't go on another date, at least she learned more about him.

Nathanaël lasted to date number 5. They enjoyed each other's company, but things became stagnant when he confessed that seeing an old flame caused previous feelings to bubble up again. Marinette appreciated his honesty, but it was clear that he wanted to try again. She couldn't stand in the way of that.

Marinette applied some strawberry frosting to the cooled lemon cake and cut herself a small slice. The flavors melded together on her tongue, a hopeful reminder of what spring could be once the cold weather melted. But despite how it tasted, it still lacked whatever she was looking for to submit for the contest. Frustration groaned inside her, but at least she was another step closer. Her eyes ticked to the clock on the wall; 9:30 pm. She could easily make another batch, especially without Alya distracting her. She pulled out the ingredients needed once more, one more attempt couldn't hurt.

* * *

By the time Marinette stumble through her apartment door exhaustion had inched its way to every part of her body. She was lucky to remember to turn the oven off before she left her bakery because she created four more batches before giving up for the evening. An unread message from Alya kept lighting up her phone, no doubt the information to the blind date she had agreed to in a temporary moment of insanity.

 **Ayla: Tomorrow, at the Hollybelly 5 at 9 am. He's going to wear a light blue scarf. If you need moral support, I'm only a phone call away. Knock him dead!**

Suddenly this idea seemed even more insane, but to avoid her best friend's nagging at her for the next month straight; she decided to follow through with her word. She set her alarm for 8:30 to give herself enough time to prepare in the morning. She became acutely aware of how the sweet scent stuck to her skin, as tired as she was, the shower called to her.

She let out a gasp as she stepped into the wall of warm water and the relaxation it provided. Four more batches of "almost there" was the product of her night along with a messy kitchen she had to clean before she came home. It wouldn't have been fair to leave that to the staff when she had been the one to cause the mess in the first place. Her fingers itched to run through her hair, and she released a long exhale. This contest was of vital importance if she desired to open a second store, a dream of hers since her parents put her in charge of the original. She had sacrificed so much to oversee the store and she wanted to do was to make her parents proud.

The shower ended quicker than she would like, but she could barely keep her eyes open. She grabbed a glass of water on the way to bed in case she woke up in the middle of the night. Sleep slowly caused her eyelids to grow heavy, not allowing her thoughts to wander far. Marinette adjusted her arm under the pillow and contorted it until comfortable. The act of her shifting her body caused another pillow to knock some items on the nightstand, including the cup of water. It tipped, and the water contents spilled all over her phone; not that Marinette noticed because sleep already claimed her.

* * *

 **8:45 am**

The hostess turned wearing a dazzling smile when she heard the bell above the door ring. "Good Morning, do you have reservations?"

"Yes, last name Chapin, Adam." He returned the smile before loosening the light blue scarf Alya told him to wear. Excitement stirred in his stomach, Alya had raved non-stop about her friend, and by the sounds of it, she was exactly the type of women he was looking for. He hadn't necessarily thought he would stoop to a blind date to find love, but he trusted Nino and therefore, Alya.

Adam followed a waitress to his table and took his seat and glanced at his watch. He was always early to everything in his life, to be late screamed distasteful and unprofessional; both words he couldn't associate with in his profession. He hoped that Marinette didn't keep him waiting for long.

 **9:30 am**

Adam had heard of being a little late, but this boarded on ridiculous. The waitressed eyed him like an injured puppy when she brought him a drink after twenty minutes. He could feel people staring at him, but he kept his gaze locked to his phone. Thankfully work kept him preoccupied, but 45 minutes had elapsed since he arrived. His fingers dialed Marinette's number which Alya had provided but met a voicemail.

Her eye burst open as light burst through the room. Why did it feel so late, why didn't her phone's alarm go off? A quick glance told her all she needed to know. A spilled cup with no liquid in it whatsoever, and a phone whose screen would not lite up no matter what she did to it. Marinette cursed under her breath as she shoved the blankets off her bed and made a mad dash for the kitchen. 8:30 am. She wouldn't be skinned alive by Alya after all. She jolted back to the room and grabbed a pink dress off its hanger and threw it on. Not wanting to deal with the hassle of styling her hair, a messy bun offered her the solution that she craved. There was no need to eat breakfast at the apartment since they had a morning date, so that left brushing her teeth and applying just enough makeup to be presentable on a date. She didn't want to scare the poor guy off before anything before giving him a chance.

 **9:45 am**

He waited long enough. Every second he waited for her, it drew attention to the face he was still alone after an hour. Everyone paying attention to their surroundings knew that he had been stood up. He wished that Marinette at least had the decency to inform him that she changed her mind, but out of the worst possible scenarios, this one seemed less cruel. Whenever he looked back on this failure of a date, he wouldn't be plagued with one-sided feeling but instead the what-ifs of what could have been. He slid payment for his drink on the table and stood up. The office wouldn't mind a couple extra hours especially with the huge case he was working on.

Marinette rushed down the street, the restaurant was only a couple blocks further, and she would make it on time. She hated being late, a probably she usually dealt with due to exhaustion with the bakery. Luck could be the only word to describe how she woke up in time. With no phone, it wasn't like she could call anyone, it would take days before she could find the time to go get a replacement. But with the little distance, she had left to cover, her bad luck with being late would end today.

 **10:00 am**

She stumbled through the door only two minutes late, a new personal record for her. The hostess didn't seem that impressed with her "graceful" entrance.

"May I help you?" She asked, but Marinette could sense the smallest sense of annoyance in her voice.

"I-" A light blush dusted her cheeks as she realized she forgot to ask Adam's last name. "I'm meeting someone." She allowed her eyes to wander over the hostess' shoulder until they landed on a blonde sitting at the table and around his neck …was a blue scarf. Her breath hitched as she watched his piercing green eyes study the menu. Alya wasn't kidding, he could charm her in a courtroom anytime. "He's right over there." She rushed past the hostess not wanting to keep Adam waiting any longer than necessary. "Hi, I'm Marinette," she introduced herself wrapping her coat around the chair. It was a good thing that she gripped the chair the second his green eyes jumped up to meet her all feeling gave out in her leg. She would have to thank Alya for setting her up with the more gorgeous man she ever met.

"Um, hi," he replied. Either she caught him off guard, or he didn't have a way with words, neither was a deal breaker. This was a blind date, he had to be just as nervous as she was.

"Adam, I'm sorry I'm a couple minutes late, my phone got fried last night." The explanation sounded lamer coming out of her mouth, but she couldn't backpedal now, that would only creep him out. She needed to stand her ground and resist the word vomit of oversharing. "But none of that matters because you're still here." A man like him could have any girl that he wanted, and yet he stayed despite her lateness, maybe they could make it to date number two after all. "Have you ordered yet?" She asked looking over the menu for the first time she got there.

"Not yet." She cocked her head to the side and tried to focus on what food they had to offer. Not a lot had been said and this already beat out her date with Kim.

"Everything looks so good, what do you recommend?" Adam had picked a restaurant she had never been to before, but he must have liked it enough to recommend it.

"I usually get an omelet," he replied. Marinette fought the blush forming on her cheeks as he gave her a once-over glance before his gaze returned to the menu.

Adrien's jaw dropped from slight bewilderment at why such a gorgeous girl would randomly sit down at his table and start talking away. She approached him as if she knew him but called him Adam; she seemed so warm and personal he didn't want to correct her and risk her leaving. He would correct her eventually, or she would figure out that he wasn't this Adam character and the natural course would have its way.

She motioned towards the waiter and started to order without a care in the world. His father had wanted him to visit that afternoon, no doubt his latest attempt to convince him to leave his current job and join him in the fashion industry. An hour or two with this beautiful mystery girl in front of him wouldn't be the end of the world.

"Adam?" At her second call, Adrien realized that she called him- or rather, thought she had. "Are you okay?" The way she was so concerned for his well-being spread warmth through every limb on his body.

"Yeah," his lips pushed back into a smile reflecting the emotions flowing through him. "Everything is perfect."

* * *

 **AN- So. Here's the deal. Right now, this is only a one-shot, but you can change that if you want. I have so many miraculous story idea that I can't expand on every one shot in my head, but I am willing to do it on the stories that you all are interested in. If you want more, review, pm me whatever you want to do and let me know. Here's what to expect if this story to continue, the rest of the Adrienette date, Marinette finding out that Adrien is not Adam (and will actually meet Adam). More backstory of the characters in this world and Adrien shamelessly pursuing Marinette in like 10 chapters of fluff. Sound good? Leave a review. Otherwise, you can enjoy the potential story in your imagination. Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.- Guys, I'm floored and speechless at the response this has gotten. All I can say is I'm beyond grateful and hope that I can do justice that you all deserve for this story. I managed to get this chapter out in basically two days, 4 k of pure fluff. Just for your sanity sake, every time it says Adam ( minus the scene with Nino) is actually Adrien. Can't wait till after the reveal, because I threw myself a couple times writing it. Did the time change throw anyone else completely off? Just me? Fantastic. Enjoy.**

* * *

"How's your omelet?" Marinette asked in between bites. She found that she was attentive to his behavior and there were points where his gaze would wander to his food until he took a bit and then wander back to her. Sure, blind dates weren't necessarily ideal, but there wasn't anything that he had to be nervous. With looks like that, he could probably land any girl in Paris that he wanted.

"It's delicious," he replied and poked the egg with his fork mumbling, "do you want to try some?" His words stopped her from lifting her glass any more, how did the color marinating his cheeks make him cuter than before?

"Uh, sure?" She never considered that he would want to share his meal with her, none of her previous relationships offered. He cut a piece and held out his plate without hesitation. When the fluffy egg reached her mouth, the flavors of cheese and meat melded on her taste buds caused her eyes to close and hum in delight. She could see why he ordered the omelet every time, she found she enjoyed it more than her own meal. Her eye peaked opened after realizing that Adam was probably watching her, much to her embarrassment. "I can see why you enjoy it. Do you come here often?" Maybe if she visited this restaurant before they could have bumped into each other sooner.

"Not as much as I would like, it's has been awhile." His answer caused another unusual shift in his chair, and her eyes narrowed. Before she could question it, he spoke again. "What now? I thought we could take a walk by the Seine river, it's nice out." Marinette froze, he wanted to continue the date? The original plan was to head back to the bakery after breakfast, but for the first time in a while, there was hesitation to carry it out. Breakfast was enjoyable, to say the least, and now they had broken the ice she could really take the time to see if there was something here. Tikki assured her last night that she could handle the bakery today. Another hour so that they could go for a walk couldn't hurt anything.

Her fingers fiddled with her hair sliding it behind her ear nervously. "I'd like that."

"So Alya said you were a lawyer, how do you like that?" They were in luck that the restaurant was only a couple blocks from the river and the weather couldn't be more perfect for walking and people watching.

"I mainly work in the…medical side of things." He replied shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, that's cool, I bet you help a lot of people that way."

"It's actually the reason that I wanted to go into the field in the first place; I love helping people." He paused for only a moment, "what about you?"

"I have worked in the bakery basically my whole life. Both my parents had a passion for it, and everyone could say that they could taste the love in everything they created. I guess it runs in the family."

"You know, I've heard good things about your bakery. It's a shame that I didn't visit it sooner, if I knew sure pretty bakers worked there, I would have come in for a chocolate croissant a long time ago." The blush returned for what seemed like the hundredth time as she tried to figure out how he could deliver the line so smoothly.

"Well if you come by, I'll talk to the manager and get you one on the house. We're pretty tight you know."

"How can I turn an offer like that down?" There was something about the way that he stopped and looked at her caused her heart to flip.

"I also heard that you like cats, do you own one?" She asked trying to switch the topic away from his flirtation to regulate her heartbeat.

"Yeah, he's a stray I found and couldn't leave him alone. His name is Chat Noir." He quickly pulled out a phone, and after a few taps, a black cat rolled on side paw sticking up slightly in the air filled the screen. Marinette could barely see a green collar sticking out of black tuft around his neck.

"He's adorable." The two continued to walk, side by side, even closer than before.

"Are you glad you decided you came on the date?" Adrien's hands found their way back into his pockets.

"I am," she smiled tucking her hair behind her ear. "I have to confess when Alya first suggested the idea of a blind date, I didn't want to. I had been hurt several times in the past by people I know. The idea of going on a date with a complete stranger was daunting, but I'm glad she pushed me to go. If I hadn't, who knows if we would have ever met?"

"Marinette, there's something"- His voice cut off when he felt it. A raindrop. The sensation repeated, and he glanced up to the gray clouds looming. He grabbed her hand and began sprinting, but before they made it to the street, the heavens released its water relentlessly. He pulled off his jacket to shield them, but the damage had been done. The two maneuvered through the traffic. Unfortunately, in the process he caused a puddle to splash up soaking the remaining dry area of Marinette's shoes along with part of her leg. She shrieked gaining Adrien's attention and the color from his face drained, but before he could apologize her lips twisted up to a smirk. He didn't see it coming. Her light laughs tickled the air along with the water she kicked up playfully. The battle had begun. Adrien had no doubt their sidewalk puddle war had gained some attention, but all he focused on was making her laugh again.

She leaped towards another puddle unaware its proximity to the curb. The uneven and slippery surface caught her off guard, but before Marinette found herself crashing towards the street, her arm was jerked, and she landed on something softer than the gravel. She didn't have to open her eyes to know what happened, but Marinette cracked her eyes open to Adam with both arms wrapped around her and his green pools staring at her with concern. Her eyes widened at the lack of gap between them, she had kept some distance to prevent doing something stupid, but with his face, this close; her body's first reaction was to freeze.

Adrien found that he was petrified where he stood, he couldn't bring himself to move despite the deer in the headlights face that Marinette sported. A flash of lightning illuminated her features followed shortly by a rumble of thunder.

"Adam," she peered down at the blonde's hands still holding her as if she would fall without them.

The wrong name released him from his trance. "Sorry," he was thankful for the rain hiding the subtle heat rising in his neck even though the cool water was falling against him. With whatever moment they had gone, they ducked into the nearest building.

The second the air condition hit her wet skin an involuntary shiver down her spine. Adrien felt a twinge of guilt knowing that offering his wet jacket would be of no use.

"You're cold," he stated then immediately wanted to facepalm for spelling out the obvious. "If you wanted a raincheck so you could get dry clothes, I would understand." His heart sunk inside his chest at the mere suggestion; he didn't want their time to be over yet.

"I don't need to go yet," she replied, and instantly his heart skipped. "Do you?" He pulled out his phone to see 5 missed calls from Nathalie and 1 from his father. If he had already had a lecture coming his way, he might as well enjoy his time.

"I'm free."

"Good," she smirked. "Otherwise I might think you were afraid of getting beat by a girl." The confidence that oozed off her was intoxicating to the extent he only wanted more. He generally believed he should take it easy on her, she had no knowledge of the hours wasted online perfecting his skill.

"I'll be the gentleman, pick your poison." She sped off through the arcade until she stumbled upon Mega-strike. Adrien contained his amusement, she would pick his favorite game. This was almost too easy.

"How did you do that?!" Adrien couldn't help to stop his jaw to slack at screen pronouncing player 1's victory. He could tell from the moment the match started that she had skill. It had been a couple weeks since he had picked up a controller, it contributed to his demise.

"Aren't you glad that we didn't bet more than ice cream?" she teased. Adrien may have been more distracted during his match then he cared to admit. When he turned to delivery usual smack talk, but all insults died instantly on his tongue. Whether she knew she did this or not her nose crinkled when she was focused. He hadn't noticed the light freckles before, had she always had those? The way the screen lit up her blue eyes-

"Adam? You ok?"

"Yeah," He cast his eyes away for only a second. "I was just distracted." If he didn't pull himself together, he wouldn't make it through the date. How did she not have a boyfriend? "I want a rematch, two out of three?"

"Fine, I don't mind beating you again, but the original bet still stands." She inserted more credits to the machine before he could stop her. "I'd suggest if you want to beat me that you don't get distracted." Her eyes glisten with a mischievous light. Adrien could barely recompose his face from a beet red color to focus on the next round that started without him.

"Where did you learn how to play like that?" Adrien didn't even mind that he lost the next two games, how she managed to work the controller could be considered hypnotic.

"My dad taught me everything he knows growing up," she laughed. "Any other game in there would have been a more even match, but you told me to pick my poison."

"Let him know that he's a legend." He watched her shift uncomfortably but chose not to pursue the subject further. It wasn't his place to dig, especially on a first date. "Hey," He recaptured her attention and offered the warmest smile he could muster. "I believe I owe a certain winner some ice cream." His heart flipped at her instant mood shift. "Where do you usually go?"

"André has the best ice cream in Paris."

* * *

"Marinette! It feels like years since the last time I've seen you, not cheating on me with another ice cream man, are you?" Marinette chuckled in response.  
"Everyone knows you have the best ice cream, why settle for anything less?"

"And you're not alone, who is your handsome date?" Adrien's mouth fell agape, first instinct to say his real name, but the confusion should be cleared up without others around to prevent future embarrassment caused by the situation.

"A-Adam," the name foreign coming from his mouth.

"You caught a good one Adam," André didn't even try to hide his forwardness "better not let her go." The statement was sealed with a wink and heat rose through Adrien's neck.

"André!" He glanced over to see the light tint of pink dust her cheeks. "It's only the first date."

"And yet you brought him to here to lovers ice cream man," the man teased back. Adrien's head was reeling. Lovers. He had to side with Marinette on this one, this was only a first date, to call Marinette a lover- the timing was too soon. Not that he would mind progressing to that stage given time, he had a type that she fit perfectly.

"Our ice cream please."

"My creations never lie," André's sing-song voice filled the air as he began to scoop.

Adrien led them towards a nearby bench where they sat. His eyes fell to the series of flavors in front of him, which if eaten together, sounded like it would taste disgusting. After taking a bite, he was more than delighted to admit to being wrong.

"I'm sorry about André's behavior, he can be abrupt, but he means well." Marinette didn't look at him. Instead, she took a scoop of her own ice cream.

"It's ok, it's nice that you have a lot of people that care about you."

"Yeah," the cold substance tantalized her taste buds. "I'm lucky to have them." A quiet fell between them that neither dared to break. The silence wasn't awkward. Instead, it radiated comfort and peace.

"There's been a question that's been running through my mind all day. How in the world can someone as amazing as you not be taken?"

"I don't know," she responded as she bit her lip. "The bakery has been my life for as long as I remember. Guess I didn't have time." Marinette wanted to ask why he was single but lost her courage. The smile that he sent in response created another flutter dance between her stomach and her heart.

"It's getting late, I should walk you home." Even though disappointment spread through her, she nodded in agreement. This date had to end at some time, she was thankful for the time she had.

* * *

Marinette had purposely slowed her pace on the way back to her apartment if Adam had noticed he didn't say anything but instead matched her pace. Their hands brushed, but nerves prevented her from grabbing it. The butterflies flew in circles around in her stomach with every step. She had spent more time than she anticipated, but now as they approached the end of their night together where she would gain the remaining hours of the day back, she dreaded it.  
"I-uh had a really great time today." Why did she sound so awkward, she held a perfectly fine conversation an hour ago? The last thing she wanted was to leave with Adam thinking she was weird and blowing her chance at a second date.  
"Me too," he offered her a smile, and her knees turned to jello. "Today has been more fun than I've had in a really long time." Marinette's breath caught, but she quickly tried to play it off to not reveal how much internal freak out was occurring. "We should do it again sometime." He added with a wink.  
"I-I would like you-I mean that." As much as Marinette willed herself not to make a fool of herself, everything came tumbling out of her mouth all wrong. It earned her a chuckle, but that didn't help with the sting of pink ablaze on her cheeks.

She decided that silence would be her best friend for the rest of the walk home. She couldn't make a fool of herself if she didn't talk. Regret seeped into her skin at the lost opportunity when her apartment came into view.

"This is me," she muttered almost wishing it wasn't true. A moment of bravery rushed through her veins at the thought of this potentially was the last time she would ever see him. "Give me your phone." She watched as his eyes widened at her forwardness and for a brief moment, she contemplated if her request overstepped his comfort level. To her surprise, he handed it over, and she began to type in her contact information before handing it back to him.  
"So we don't have to go through Alya for next time," she explained with as much confidence she could muster. "I should be able to get a new phone tomorrow."

A gleam sparkled in his eye, and she found her hand being brought up to his lips, but not before he looked up at her through his hair. "Until next time," he promised gently kissing her knuckles. Forget freak out, she was well on her way to a full meltdown.

"Next time," she agreed not trusting herself to answer further. Her hand slipped out of his as Adam backed away not taking his eyes off her for the first couple steps. She broke the contact and scramble up the stairs, often tripping, until she found the safety of her apartment. Her legs gave up in her entrance way sending her to the floor.

What was that? The one thing Marinette was absolutely sure of, she was in way over her head.

A sudden ring overcame the quiet that she had grown accustomed to and she winced. Most calls went through her cell phone, but on occasion, she received the rare, important call.

"Leave a message after the beep: Marinette, it's Alya. Figured this was a long shot, but you weren't picking up your cell phone. It's afternoon, and I haven't heard anything from you yet." Marinette released a groan as she picked herself off the floor. If she didn't pick up, it would only be a couple minutes before Alya would be banging down her door.

"Hey Alya, I'm alive. No need to rescue me."

"Do you know how many times I tried to call you on your cell phone? I was two calls away from scouring the city with a search party."

"My cell phone is beyond saving. I need to get a new one."

"I called the store twice, and they said they haven't seen you all day. I'm assuming the date went well?" The teasing didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes, it did," Marinette answered, not providing any other information. If she did give her details, Alya would tease her for weeks to come.

"Have you set up a time for the next date?"

"Not really," her lips slid into a frown. "But he mentioned the next time, so that has to count for something, right?" She desperately hoped so. That date was better than she had been on in years; not that her love life had been busy, but it counted for the principal of the thing.

"I'll have Nino call him and do so recon work for us." Marinette's eyes shot open. That would be horrible if Adam didn't have a good time she'd rather never hear from him again. She didn't need whatever he would say burned into her mind.

"Alya, that really isn't necessary"-

"Do you like him?" She winced at her best friend's bluntness.

"It was one date," she replied. She couldn't _like him like him_ after one date, they didn't even talk about anything under surface level.

"And you want a second one, right?"

Marinette opened her mouth to protest only to realize Alya was right. She did want a second date. "Yes," she confessed softly, the single word bruising her ego.

"Then sit back and trust me on this. He'll be crawling back into the bakery." As attractive of a mental image that was, she didn't need it running through her head. "They told me to tell you that Ivan and Mylene wanted to move up the 1 pm slot tomorrow for their cake tasting if that was ok." The cake tasting, she had forgotten. Without her phone, she felt helpless not even knowing her appointments. Buying a new phone couldn't wait till tomorrow, there was enough time for her to get to the store and home before dark.

"Alya, I got to go."

* * *

"Can I ask a tiny favor?" Nino was startled at his girlfriend's ability to sneak up on him. They had been going strong for almost a year now, he thought he would get used to it; still made him jump every time.

"What kind of favor?" He asked purposefully taking the bait. Alya might have said small favor, but her outfit, behavior, and tone would suggest otherwise.

"I need you to call up Adam and find out what he thought of the date."

"You want me to meddle."

"Not meddle," she corrected him. "Just ask him a few questions to confirm that the feelings are mutual. I set this blind date up, so I feel responsible for Mar's feelings. If he doesn't feel the same way, I want to break the news to her." Nino's lips melted into a smile, Alya's heart for her friends and family drew her to him in the first place. Marinette had become a friend through his Alya, and he would admit that he was all the better for it. She deserved love too, and if an uncomfortable phone call could make it happen, maybe it was only a tiny favor.

"What do I get in return?" He grinned teasingly back at her.

"I'll grab two of those chocolate croissants when I go there in the morning," she beamed.

"Make it three, and you have a hard bargain." Alya threw her arms around him sealing his lips with hers. The kiss was over too soon as he felt her pull back.

"Deal," his body relaxed as he watched her slip back into a smile. "I'm going to run to the store to grab us dinner. Let me know what you find out." She paused at the doorway, purse poised in her hand. "And Nino, I love you."

"Love you too." He watched her leave and decided that she would be the death of him one day and he didn't mind one bit.

* * *

Nino stared at the phone for a few minutes before he could bring himself to reach for it. Alya made him promise to call right away after hanging up the phone with Marinette, but Nino hadn't the slightest clue what to say. He feared that regardless of how he would approach it he would get chewed out by his girlfriend, timing and a peace offering would lessen the blow. Either way, he wasn't looking forward to it.

He dialed the number and after two rings the hope he would get voicemail were dashed.

"Hello?"

"Adam! Long time no talk!" Not the best start, just the tone, and pitch screamed of desperation.

"Um yeah." Adam paused for a moment too long for Nino's liking. "Did you need something?"

Called out, the direct approach remained his own option. "Alya wanted me to call you and find out how you think the date went." Nino could only hope that Adam got how demanding his girlfriend could be when it came to Marinette's happiness.

"It could have gone better."

"What?" Dead, if he didn't gather more information, Alya would skin him alive. "Why?"

"It's hard to judge on the potential of a date when it ended before it began."

"I don't follow," he replied as his eyebrows knit together.

"She never bothered to show up, now if you excuse me I really have to get back to work." The click ended their conversation, but Nino found himself unprepared. Alya had sent him to find out details, it wasn't unreasonable to think the news was supposed to be good. If she knew the date ended poorly, the last thing she would do is send him into snoop. The question hung in the air, what would he tell Alya?

* * *

Marinette dipped her hands in flour then grabbed the dough to knead it out. Her smile hadn't left her lips since the date.

"Someone seemed to sleep in and in a good mood. Great date?" Tikki buzzed into the room with empty trays in hand. She ignored what her friend implied and continued to work with the dough.

"Maybe," her lip curled between her teeth fighting the blush tint spreading on her cheek. When had her love life become the gossip of the bakery? It was only one date, she knew her friends tended to get overexcited, but things with Adam were too soon to expect anything.

"Don't hold out on me," she pressed. "Details."

"Well, we had breakfast, and at first he was a bit nervous, which is understandable on a blind date. Then we went down to the park and strolled for a bit, it started to rain, so we ran into this arcade." The previous day's memories of their ran fight flashed through her mind. "I kicked his butt then we went out for ice cream."

"Are you going to see him again?"

Marinette didn't have the chance to answer as the front door swung open and Alya's voice boomed through the bakery, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have some explaining to do."

* * *

 **A.n.- Ok, here's the deal. I will do my best to update next weekend, but ultimately I can make no promises. I need to finish Sweet Dreams ( one chapter left to write ) and I'm also participating in a Secret Santa on tumblr where my muses decided to be extra and write two one-shots instead of one ( But more stories for you all, right?) They also want to write one-shots for Christmas gifts for some of the people who have encouraged me so much in my writing. I don't want to keep you all waiting too long, so I'll try to get the next chapter written as possible.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.n.-I don't know why, but it legit feels like ages since I updated this story. I know it's only been a week but still. Thank you for the continued support. I'm so lucky to have readers like you**.

* * *

The cringe plastered on her face couldn't be helped, but Marinette had no clue what she did to make her best friend that upset. She went on a date as Alya wanted, nothing else came to mind for ways she offended her best friend. She turned and made her way up front to find Tikki, who was attempting to quiet Alya and failing miserably. Marinette leaned against the nearby counter a bemused smirk played her lips.

"So, what did I do now to earn your wrath this early in the morning?"

"We promised that we wouldn't lie to each other!" Alya hissed. What? The smirk fell instantly. She hadn't lied about anything, maybe left a detail or two out about the date. Marinette failed to see how that could evoke this kind of anger.

"What are you talking about?"

"If you didn't want to go on a date you didn't have to fabricate a story. I could have handled the truth instead of finding out that you stood him up."

"I went on the date Alya; you can ask Tikki, I didn't come to the bakery at all."

"It's true!" Tikki pipped in despite her dislike for confrontations.

"You could have played hooky, we both know how terrible a liar Tikki is."

"Alya, you know how much this place means to me, do you really believe that I could spend a day away from this place if I could help it?"

Alya's face crumbled, "no." She huffed pride obviously hurt for jumping to conclusions. "But why would Adam say you didn't show?"

"That's what I'm wondering," Marinette's hands became busy twisting a dry hand towel near her. "Maybe he didn't have as good of a time as I thought."

"Impossible, talk me through with what happened. Were you late?"

"A little," Marinette winced at her confession and quickly backtracked. "But by a couple of minutes tops. My phone broke sometime overnight, so I had to deal with that."

"Wait your phone stopped working?" Alya parroted as the gears in her mind started to move.

"Yeah remember, I told you on the phone after my date."

"Marinette, did you reset your clocks?" It would explain everything, Adam was probably a great guy, but he wouldn't wait over an hour if he thought he got stood up.

"I didn't need to, my phone...automatically changes." Her words slowed as what her best friend hinted at finally sunk in. "But there was a guy there with a blue scarf!"

"Did he look like this?" Alya navigated social media quickly she managed to pull a picture up with ease. Marinette stared onwards at the screen; her stomach dropped within itself.

"No," she answered after a couple of minutes of silence. Alya burst into laughter, but she seemed to be the only one amused.

"You stood up Adam and crashed another date thinking he was Adam." Marinette's face paled, she couldn't help it.

"This can't be happening," she groaned. "If I didn't go on a blind date with Adam, then who did I go out with?"

"Don't worry," Alya flipped out her phone. "I can fix this."

Marinette's eyes drifted down to the table, how could she have been so stupid? He had a blue scarf and green eyes and furthermore didn't bother to stop and explain that she was at the wrong table. It would have been embarrassing, but not to the extent she was currently experiencing. He essentially lied to her, how was she supposed to trust anything he said when he mislead her with something as simple as his name? They had spent the whole day together, he could have corrected her at any time, and she wouldn't be getting worked up right now.

Out of the corner, she saw her screen light up with a text message.

 **Unknown** : **Hello** **Beautiful** , **I** **can't** **stop** **thinking** **about** **you**.

If it had been any other time, she would have been over the moon to receive such a text. But not she knew it came from not-Adam. Her building anger overshadowed any flutter from her heart. She couldn't have fallen for the guy that much in the span of one date.

She felt so stupid, maybe he humored the situation and stayed with her out of pity or because it boosted his ego. If that were the case, then why would he text her? What did he have to gain, he must have known that when she figured it out things in the end.

Liars are losers; she decided as she flipped the phone face down so the message wouldn't taunt her further. If he couldn't be honest with her, then there was no ground for a relationship. She was only happy in the fact that his perfectness was shattered making it that much easier to ignore him. He could text her day after day, but she made the decision she wouldn't respond. He would get the hint eventually and then she could move on with her life.

"You can thank me later, Adam is coming to the bakery tomorrow morning." Out of all the feelings, Marinette felt, she wasn't sure relief was one of them.

* * *

The corners of her eyes glued shut as Marinette hobbled into her bakery the next morning. Sleep had evaded her, and she tossed and turned all night, her mystery man to blame. Every time she closed her eyes his image conjured in her mind with his captivating green eyes and infectious laugh. Normally she wouldn't mind, but the constant reminder would make it that much harder to get over him. Not to mention, time was against her, it was day 2 of adjusting to daylight savings time, and it hit her harder than she cared to admit.

But someone had to run the bakery, and she couldn't keep dumping the responsibility of openings on Tikki, it wasn't fair.

"Marinette!" Tikki chirped the second she walked through the door, but all Marinette could think of was how morning people existed; let alone functioned this early. "When I opened up this morning there was something left for you," she teased. She popped around the corner do quickly that Marinette could have sworn she hallucinated the whole thing. The thought was forgotten soon when Tikki barreled back through the door with an armful of flowers of various types.

"What?" Who would send flowers, let alone this early? Her fingertips grazed them before their scene filled her nostrils. She couldn't deny that the arrangement was gorgeous with the sunset of colors. Tikki handed the card nuzzled between the flowers and with nimble moments the card released from the envelope.

The second her eyes landed on the black cat outside of the card; she knew exactly who they were from; mystery man. Her fingers tremble slightly as she flipped the card open.

 **Hope** **your** **day** **is** **as** **beautiful** **as** **you** **are**.

- **Secret** **Admirer**

It didn't take Marinette long to realize that every time she saw them that it would bring him to mind, not conducive to the process of getting over him.

"Throw them out," the words clung to her throat tickling her throat into a tremor.

"What?" Marinette didn't blame Tikki for looking as stunned as she did at the request.

"I don't want them." Her statement and resolve didn't stop the sinking feeling in her gut as the flowers flopped into the trash. "Shall we get started?" It was no time for her emotions to take over, but despite her adamant request, she couldn't bring herself to throw the card out too. Instead, she slipped it into the depth of her desk.

* * *

A growl emerged from Adrien's stomach the moment he stepped foot in the station. He smiled knowing that the only thing that separated him from breakfast was a flight of stairs. Adrien made his way towards the eating/living area, but the closer he got, the more he could smell the most unusual odor. When he rounded the corner, he stopped immediately in the doorway; his hand went flying over his nose to shield the smell.

"Plagg, please tell me you're not incorporating camembert into breakfast. You know it stinks up this whole place."

"I would," Plagg smirked, "but that would be a lie." The response earned a groan as Adrien slid into a seat at the table. They would rotate between the men on who would handle the meals, and whenever it was Plagg's responsibility, he would always find a way to insert the cheese with every dish he did. His coworker had a love for Camembert in particular, which tasted fine enough, but the station would usually smell for a day or two.

"Did you do anything interesting on your day off?" Adrien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. If he lied, Plagg would bound to find out.

"I- uh- had a date," he confessed only to be met with laughter seconds later.

"No, what did you really do?" Plagg asked in between trying to regain his air. When he glanced over and saw Adrien's eyes glued to the table, any further teasing died on how tongue.

"Was it someone, your father, set you up with?" With as much knowledge and taste that Gabriel had revolved around the fashion industry when it came to his son's love life, M. Agreste managed to have the bad luck of picking only girls that didn't click with Adrien.

"Nope, she sat down at my table at breakfast." Plagg stopped messing with the food in front of him, head tilted in confusion.

"She just sat down, unprompted, started talking and then you two went on a date? What's the catch?"

"She thought I was someone else." Adrien hoped that if he answered as casually as possible, Plagg wouldn't interrogate further.

"That's a new one," he mused. "What did she say when you told her who you were?" Silence echoed through the room, and Plagg looked up from his pan once more. "You did tell her, right?" Adrien's focus remained on the table instead of answering.

Before a Plagg could squeeze any more answers out of him, the alarms started blaring.

"Station 8851, we have an unconscious adult male. Please respond." Plagg pushed his unfinished breakfast off the burner and sighed; all that wasted glorious camembert. Sometimes he wished the people of Paris could not need saving long enough to enjoy his breakfast.

"Come on, Plagg!" Adrien shouted over his shoulder as he made his way to the truck.

"Such a waste."

* * *

"So, tell me why we had to go to this specific bakery when we passed several perfectly fine ones 10 minutes ago?" After the call, it didn't take much convincing to go out and get some breakfast since theirs was interrupted.

"I told my friend that I would check this place out." Adrien felt the guilt twist in his stomach. Maybe he lied, but he couldn't very well tell Plagg that he wanted to go to the bakery for the sole purpose to see her. The idea that she was continually running through his mind after one date was insane. Something about her kept drawing him in; he could sit and talk with her for hours circling through multiple topics and still wish for more time. Every moment spent with her was like a breath of fresh air compared to the stiff and shallow conversations he has grown accustomed to among the people his father associated with. Now that he had the experience something different, he started to crave it.

"Which friend?" Plagg's eyes lit up with a mischievous light that Adrien appreciated, except when it came to his teasing.

"It doesn't matter," he grumbled unable to stop the heat rising from his cheeks.

"If it doesn't matter, then you wouldn't have any trouble telling me." Plagg shot back enjoying watching Adrien squirm. They had met a couple of years ago and became quick friends, despite the disapproval of Adrien's father. He had seen how manipulative Gabriel was and gave Adrien the nudge he needed to break out and figure out who he was. From what he heard about the date, whoever this Marinette girl was, she would be good for Adrien. He hadn't seen Adrien this happy in a long time. However, knowing M. Agreste, he always had a mapped-out plan regarding his son's life, and a new girlfriend not of his choosing would not be part of it.

* * *

"Are you Marinette?" The question caused her to abandon her pastry inventory count to glance up at the owner of the deep, alluring voice.

Before her, stood a guy, who resembled Alya's earlier photo from the piercing green eyes to the muscular build. If she was honest, the picture didn't do him justice.

"You must be Adam," she replied pushing a smile on her lips. The thought never occurred to her how awkward this conversation would be to have. "I'm so sorry about the other day. There was this mishap with my phone and my clocks not changing with the time change." The word vomit was unavoidable at this point, but the more that came our she wondered if its function was justifying the reasons she went on the other date.

"Alya explained everything," he interrupted before she could continue with her ramblings.

"Oh," her shoulders relaxed and yet her heart still raced.

"I figured I would come here in person and ask you out since time stole the first try." Marinette blinked blankly at the statement. He still wanted to go out with her?

"Okay," she replied without a second thought. If Alya was so sure that they would be a good match, then she had to entertain the idea of a date. He made an effort to come and visit her at work, how could she say no to that? Her fingers slid some loose hair back into place as she allowed her nerves to take over. "Um, here," she dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone and held out to him. With a few taps of his fingers, his number got entered, and he handed it back to her.

"Are you free Friday for lunch?"

"I'll clear my schedule," Marinette smiled. She hoped that the date would help curb the desire to text mystery boy back. Not to mention Alya would be pleased that, for once, she didn't mess things up beyond repair. Adam's phone rang, and he gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, work. You understand." She did. Standing there chit-chatting with him wouldn't bring the cookies out of the oven.

The cookies.

She waved goodbye, but Adam was too wrapped up in whatever his phone call entailed and strolled out of the bakery without another glance in her direction. However, Marinette didn't have time to mull over her interaction unless she wanted extra crispy cookies.

* * *

The second he got a glimpse inside the bakery his feet stopped in his tracts. The more he watched, his heart sunk. A guy was talking to Marinette, and their interaction seemed more a simple customer relation. Adrien didn't need to hear to know the guy was flirting; he had seen it dozens of times.

Against his better judgment, he pulled out his phone and checked for any text messages, only to be disappointed.

Maybe she didn't get her new phone yet? Or didn't have to respond, after all, mornings were the busy time for her profession. He was expecting at least an initial text to say thank you for the flowers he left at her storefront this morning.

Adrien knew the last thing he should be was jealous; they only had one date. One that he didn't ask for, but he wouldn't take back for the world. They didn't resemble anything to an exclusive couple, but he wanted to be the one to smile like that. She seemed like she enjoyed the date, he thought, but he could have imagined the secret glances and lip bites.

"You know I think I saw another bakery around the corner." He pointed behind him, but his friend kept headed towards the door.

"We're going inside. You did not make me drive twenty minutes out of the way to visit your little girlfriend for us not to go see her." Adrien wasn't mildly prepared for the color and heat to onslaught his cheeks.

"She's not-we're not," he stammered; unfortunately, it only caused the color to rise to the tips of his ears.

"But you want to be," Plagg teased furthering the torture. Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but he got cut off. "You won't be able to convince me otherwise, kid." Adrien squinted at the nickname still not used to it over the past two years. The origin of it was unknown considering he was in his twenties and the fact that a Plagg only had a couple of years on him. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to get a cheese danish. You can decide if you have enough guts to face her today or you're going to let some competition scare you away."

"Alright, let's go," Adrien mumbled and followed him inside.

The second Adrien stepped foot into the bakery two things instantly occurred, his mouth began to water, and he started searching the surroundings for Marinette. There were barely any tables open, clearly a sign of how successful her bakery had grown. His search came up empty, and the frown from earlier reappeared, she must have gone into the back.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" Behind the counter, the first thing he noticed about the woman was her fierce red hair in compared to her warm brown eyes. His mouth grew dry, although he wanted to ask for Marinette, any words he tried to say remained in the pit of his stomach. Plagg rolled his eyes and started his order.

"I'll take three cheese danishes, and this one would like to like to talk to his girlfriend."

"Plagg!" Adrien exclaimed. Teasing him when they were alone was one thing, but this girl most likely worked with Marinette. He didn't want her to think he was calling that when they didn't have a chance to discuss it.

"You're her secret admirer?" The uneasiness in his stomach grew as he watched the lady's eyes widen, but it wasn't in a way he would describe as excited. "You probably should leave before she-" Tikki didn't get to finish her warning. The sound of metal hitting the floor clattered through the front half of the bakery and the freshly baked cookies scattered.

"You." She might as well have seen a ghost with the way her face paled.

"H-hi," He had waited for two days to talk to her, and now all he could do was stutter? What happened to all the confidence he had this morning when he dropped off the flowers?

"You have some nerve coming here." Her arms crossed over her chest and any smile he had dropped. He didn't understand. What made her so bitter towards him?

"What?"

"You can drop the act; I know you're not Adam." The sentence sunk into his bones and he wanted nothing more than to disappear.

"Oh." There wasn't anything else he could say. Adrien didn't know how the situation could get any worse. She could have concluded that he wasn't going to tell her when he did have every intention to do so, at the proper time. For a moment, he enjoyed being Adam no matter how short the illusion lasted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The bite in her tone caused him to cringe, confirming his worst fear.

"I tried, multiple times, but after a while, I-I thought that if you knew that I wasn't Adam that you-"Adrien stopped himself before he went on an embarrassing spiel that would probably get him nowhere.

"Well now that I know you lied, I think it's best if you leave." He thought this would be a story that they could laugh about in a couple of years. Now that he knew how this affected her, he wanted nothing more than a time machine or at least to try and make it up to her.

That's when he saw them, his flowers in the trash. The heart inside his chest started free falling into the pit of his stomach much like being dropped to the bottom of the ocean, air slowly being sucked out in the most painful way possible.

He screwed up. The whole situation had tossed him way over his head, and he wasn't even sure if he could fix it.

He scooped out his wallet and tossed a couple of bills on the counter. "For the cookies," he mumbled even though she was the one who dropped the pan.

"What about my cheese danish?" Plagg whined.

"I'll get you some," he snapped the recoiled at how harsh he sounded. "We're not welcomed here." He only made it a couple of steps before he stopped, "not that it matters now, but my name is Adrien." He hoped she would stop them, when he glanced back she was poised as if she was going to call out to him. Any hopes dashed as he exited the bakery and met the crisp late morning air.

"What was that?" Plagg demanded as soon as he was sure they couldn't hear him.

"Just drop it." Adrien didn't even bother to look at him. Instead, the ground seemed to be a fascinating point of interest. Plagg complied, but not before looking back at the two bakers who hadn't moved from their spot.

* * *

The rest of Marinette's day dragged on far slower than she would like. Despite the preparation requiring her attention, she wanted to go home and sink into a long hot bath. This was a first for her, the desire to leave early in favor of going home. Most times this feeling crept up when she felt blocked, but in this instance, she had no reason to fuel the desire not to continue baking for the day. Marinette pressed on despite her slump not wanting to leave Tikki with the piles of work to be done.

Despite numerous assurances from Alya of Adam's plans to visit the bakery that morning, she couldn't help but be surprised that he asked for her. As inherently pleased as Marinette was that she hadn't screwed up her chances with Adam, her mind shifted to Adrien and their conversation. Now that time had cooled her temper, Marinette realized that she might have been too harsh on him. Had she been put in a similar situation, she might have waited until after the date as well. She glanced down at her phone, fingers itching to reach out with an apology. Maybe after a couple of days to let everything die down. If he agreed, she would want to try another first date, this time with no pretenses. The one person she would have the most trouble convincing of the new plan would be Alya due to her protective nature, but that bridge only had to be crossed only if Adrien agreed to another shot.

Her pace slowed when she noticed an unusual car parked in front of her building. It could have belonged to anyone, but that didn't stop the uneasiness that crept up her skin. Her hand slipped into her purse to find something to be used as a weapon if it came to it. As she came closer to the front door of she heard a car door open.

"Mlle Dupain-Cheng," a woman's voice filled the air and stopped Marinette in her tracks. When she turned to a dark-haired woman minus the streak of red among her bangs. Her clothes reflected her hair with the only pop of color being the turtleneck under her jacket.

"Who are you?" And how do you know my name? Her mind added.

"My name is Nathalie Sancoeur, and I'm here on behalf of my employer M. Agreste, who sent me to speak to you about his son, Adrien."

* * *

 **A.n.-Uh. *Hides* I promise I'll make up for this small cliffhanger next chapter. Next time, Adrienette fluff, Plagg/Tikki interactions, and Marinette's date with Adam among other things. Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.n.- I think I'm going to repeat how thankful I am for you guys every single chapter because you blow me away with the support this story is getting. It humbles me and makes me work harder to produce a better chapter for you. A couple of things before we start.**

 **1.) There was lots of debate of what Adrien's job was last chapter. He is a Paramedic. Now where I live ( and other places too) there are two kinds, one works out of the hospital and the other has stations that take calls just like firefighters and take calls 24/7. Hopefully, that clears some stuff up.**

 **2\. For those of you that haven't noticed, there's a question mark in the chapters. The story has expanded a bit. (Currently, I think it's going to be 12 chapters but that might change so I left it). Yay more chapters.**

 **3\. A shoutout to Mermaidyarn and The Novel Artist, because of them, an extra plot element was added that I think everyone would approve of. I know I had fun doing research for it.**

* * *

"So, what's about Adrien?" Marinette asked unsure how to start this impromptu conversation. There wasn't any etiquette that she knew of regarding a stranger visiting you late at night. She ventured back into the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove after offering Nathalie tea.

"Maybe you should take a seat Mlle Dupain-Cheng." From the moment she met Nathalie, her cold demeanor, Marinette could tell that this wouldn't be a pleasant conversation. She took a seat anyway. "I'm going to cut to the chase. M. Agreste wants to offer you a deal."

"Deal?" she echoed. "What kind of deal, surely there's nothing that he would want from me." M. Agreste had all the influence needed to get anything that he wanted. She owned a bakery there was nothing-

"M. Agreste is concerned about his son and the kind of people that his son would spend time with." Her head still spun from the knowledge that Adrien was her favorite designer's son. It added some light for another reason he didn't share his name right away; he might be concerned that she would treat him differently. She should have realized it sooner, but it had been years since he graced the pages of magazines.

"What does this have to do with me?" She stumbled over her words unsure of the direction of the conversation.

"My employer is prepared to pay generously to make the proper influences stay in, or in your case, out, of Adrien's life." Her body turned to lead, and for once she was thankful that she was seated.

"Let me get this straight," she started. "M. Agreste sent you in the middle of the night to bribe me to stay away from his son because he deems me a bad influence?" This couldn't be happening. "Might I ask what was so despicable about my behavior that caused him to think I'm corrupting his son?" She spat back as her anger levels increased.

"I'm not privy to that information," Nathalie's stiff tone provided room for doubt. "He noticed that you had traveled to the bank recently for a loan to open another store." Nathalie offered out a check. "I'm sure you'll find this more than satisfactory to cover the gap." Marinette's eyes drifted over the paper- that was a lot of zeroes.

"You need to leave," the tremors laced through her words. "Now."

"I beg your pardon." Judging by her body language, she never got asked to leave before.

"Adrien is perfectly capable of choosing his own friends. Not that it's any of your business, but we are not talking right now, but if that changes that will be between Adrien and me." Nathalie stood up grabbing the check along with her.

"I'd advise you not to anger him Mlle Dupain-Cheng, M. Agreste is not a patient man. I'll give you another chance and inform him that you shall think about his offer. It could do big things for your bakery, especially since you two are not corresponding currently." She placed her card on the table in front of Marinette nodded curtly and headed straight for the door.

* * *

Tikki couldn't help but push her worry into her baking. Marinette left at 10 to travel across town for a cake tasting, but even before she left, she wasn't acting her usual self. She forgot who she was meeting with several times throughout the hour, pulled a batch of underbaked croissants out of the oven, not to mention misplaced her keys. Not that Marinette would confess if anything did bother her, but Tikki began to wonder if her behavior was caused by the Adrien news finally settling in. It didn't take much to see that she liked Adrien, what he did must have really affected her. Tikki didn't usually speak up too much, but she knew that if the two got over this hump that the pair could make each other happy. The bell above the door chimed signaling a customer, Tikki quickly gathered the remaining dough and slid it into the fridge. She only made the couple steps to the doorframe when she stopped, and a gasp escaped her lips.

Why was he here?

Tikki thought that after they left the bakery that she wouldn't see either of the boys again, but there he stood in the bakery, Adrien's friend. She ruffled down the front of her apron and nervously smoothed the hairs that shifted out of place. She rationalized that she would have done the same for any customer, not just ones she found cute.

"How may I help you?" She asked in her usual chipper voice. When she saw his mouth parted and eyes widened, she regretted it. Perhaps she could tone her tone; she had been told before that her excitement over baked goods intimidated people.

"Uh-I was looking for"- For a reason that she couldn't put her finger on, her heart sunk. That's why he was here, for Marinette, it didn't have anything to do with her.

"She's not here," she finished his thought for him.

"Who?" The general confusion in his voice brought her attention to his melt-worthy green eyes. Not that she would ever admit to that.

"Marinette."

"Well," he squinted to read her name tag, "Tikki, I'm actually here to finally taste the pastries Adrien keeps raving about. He doesn't even know that I'm here."

"Oh," her gaze shot down to her feet hoping if she could focus enough she could slip into the floor. "The cheese ones, right?" The order came swiftly to mind; not many customers ordered three pastries with the intent not to share.

"Some of the best kinds, if you ask me."

"I'm more partial towards the ones with the raspberry jam myself." She pulled back the glass to gain access to the pastries.

"Well, that makes sense because you're so sweet." Tikki stopped mid-reach and glanced up this time a confident smirk on her face.

"Does that make you cheesy?" Normally she would never flirt with the customers, but this one time could be an exception.

"Only in the best way possible...and if it means that I can take you out this weekend."

Tikki blinked in surprise at his boldness before turning away to box the food and hide the growing heat in her face.

"No, it doesn't," she replied. Marinette would kill her if she said yes, especially with where things were up in the air with Adrien.

"Oh," Tikki turned to see his facial features sink in disappointment. She didn't want to leave him there. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted a sharpie and grabbed it. Her number followed by several digits were placed on the box before Plagg even noticed.

"But you can have my number." The way his face lit up caused a small flutter in her chest.

"I'll see you around, Cookie." A wink accompanied the nickname.

"Cookie?" She called out. "Is that just because I work in a bakery?" If that was the case, it didn't impress her in the least.

"I'll only tell you if you agree to that date with me." As tempting as giving in to her curiosity was, she had to keep her boss in mind. She already flirted with the line when she handed out her number.

"I think I can handle the torture of not knowing." She places her hand on her lip to emphasize her answer, but it didn't faze him.

"Suit yourself, Cookie." Plagg slipped out, and Tikki found she needed the counter as support for her wobbly knees. Moments later her phone dinged with a message from an unknown number. It contained a picture of the empty box and three words that skyrocketed her pulse with excitement.

 _See you tomorrow._

* * *

"No way!" Adrien crossed his arms across his chest. "You can count me out; there's no way I'm doing something that embarrassing." In retrospect, he should have seen this coming. The meeting for the annual fundraiser for charity always landed around this time of the year. Bad ideas always got tossed around, and this one was no different. Adrien never imagined a sexy EMT calendar idea would ever make it to the meeting where the chief would sit in, and yet, here they were.

"Come on Adrien," Charlie prodded teasingly. "It's for charity! Think of all the good you can pour back into the community and all you have to do pose for a couple of photos. How is this any different from your modeling career when you were younger?" Adrien's body stiffened. He had concealed that information to avoid being relentlessly teased. There was no way that they could have found out — the one person who knew was Plagg.

"This is very different!" Adrien tried to argue, but by the look on their faces, no one believed him.

"You had teenage girls gawking at you then, and you'll have women ogling you now." James piped in.

"And besides the guys took a vote to put you on the cover, and Chief already approved it," Luc replied. It was evident by the groans and eye rolls that it should have remained a secret. Adrien's eyes bolted wide. It was one thing to participate, but if you were featured on the cover, you were the face of the campaign.

"What?!"

"Let me talk some sense into him." Plagg guided him away before he could give them a piece of his mind. Once the trucks have them some privacy, Adrien slugged his friend in the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You promised you wouldn't tell them!" He hissed in annoyance.

"I didn't! A single internet search can reveal all your deep dark photo shoots in more damaging ways than I can." Adrien would be inclined to believe him if he hadn't been his friend for the last couple of years.

"You left the site up for them to see." He started as a fact as everything clicked together in his brain.

"It may have randomly pulled up after I heard rumors that they wanted me to be on the cover," he confessed.

"Plagg!"

"Think of it this way; you could use it to win over bakery girl." Adrien's anger stilled at the nickname.

"Marinette?" He echoed. "How?"

"Think about it. If Marinette sees you in a calendar where you ooze your sex appeal, she won't be able to resist you." Plagg held up His hands in front of his person to prevent another punch.

"Like that will ever happen," Adrien snorted, "Marinette isn't like that."

"She has eyes, doesn't she?" Plagg shot back defensively. "Besides, it's not like your plan is working spectacularly." Adrien opened to shoot back a snarky remark when he realized that Plagg was right. He had put forth flowers, and it got him kicked out of her bakery. He had nothing left to lose.

"Fine, I'll do it," he growled. "But there's a flaw in your 'master plan,' she might not even see it."

A ding filled the air, and Plagg's lips tucked back into a smirk not needing to look to know the sender. "Let me handle that."

* * *

Marinette forced on a smile while trying not to look at her phone. Their first coffee date had gone so well she found herself hopeful among all of Alya's 'I told you so.' Tonight, was far from what she imagined. Adam arrived late which he explained away with work. She didn't mind that; it was everything after that that slowly worked on her nerves.

Adam had suggested this hot new sushi place that had opened recently. And Marinette held back a cringe. It wasn't that she didn't like sushi, it more had to do with the texture of it. She forced it down when she had to, but not ideal for a date. She confessed her feelings for the food and suggested a couple of other places they could go instead. The date ended abruptly by Adam's boss calling, and he had to high tail it to the office for a prominent client.

Imagine her surprise when they pulled up to the sushi restaurant. Her lips pressed into a thin line but didn't say anything as she got out of the car. He flashed a warm smile, but it did nothing to lift her mood.

"Marinette?" Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. "Is everything ok? You've barely touched your food."

"I just don't like it all that much," she confessed. Hopefully, the words would prompt Adam to remember when she explicitly told him that she didn't care for sushi.

"We'll get it sent back. Here, have some of mine instead. It's delicious." He switched plates and called over a waiter before she could object. The thought might have been sweet if the sushi wasn't the problem in the first place. "So, how's planning for that cook-off going."

"Baking competition," she corrected. Cook-off made it sound like a competitive barbecue. "I'm still working on the right combination. I was thinking of maybe doing something with chocolate and raspberries because-" she slowed watch him lose interest being pulled back into his work phone.

A sigh left her lips as she fought the urge to get up and leave despite being all the way across the city. They had such a good time on their first date; she didn't know what happened. Maybe he acted like this when things became too stressful at work. She'd hate to write him off over one lousy date.

"Adam?" He looked up at her call. "I'm not feeling well. Is there any way we could do a rain check?" It would be best to put the night behind them and start over on a different day.

"Absolutely," he chirped. "Just let me flag down the waiter for the check."

Adam dropped her off at home, and immediately she took off to her second home. Marinette sat on at an open table within her closed bakery glancing back to the kitchen wondering how many batches she could cook before her body would give out for the day. She glanced at her phone almost wishing that Adrien would have texted her today. Despite how silly the text was, it brought a smile every time she read them. Her phone only had one text from Adam claiming how good a time he had.

If only the feelings were mutual.

She at least had a better time with Adam than Kim, but that didn't say much. It seemed that work texts or emails kept getting in the way and that caused him not to listen. Marinette was sure he had to be a good guy, they had to go where there were no distractions.

She couldn't help but allow her mind to drift back to Adrien throughout the meal. There was no doubt that she had more fun with him than Adam the only downside to Adrien was that his father hated her guts enough to offer money to stay away. The thought crushed any childhood idea she had that if she got back into design that one day she could work at Gabriel's with enough work.

As alluring as the money was, she would find another way to get the money for the bakery. She wouldn't be pushed around and told who and who not she could be friends with. By the way, Nathalie spoke it sounded like M Agreste was under the impression that deeper feelings were there; that couldn't be true though. They only had one date. The first impression was important, but not everything. Cheeks flushed she pulled another part of her muffin off and placed it in her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, passing through the window was something very blonde and familiar. His hands were shoved in his pocket and eyes trained on the ground as he walked; he probably didn't even realize she was there.

She shot up from her seat. If fate brought him to her, how could she pass up the opportunity? Her feet tripped over themselves as she raced to the door- screw M. Agreste's potential wrath.

"Adrien!" She called out, his name leaving a honey taste on her lips. She missed talking to him.

The man spun around with no hesitation at the sound of her voice. Marinette's eyes lingered on his face for a second. The area resting under his eyes were bagged; he looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep, a feeling she could relate with.

"What are you doing?" Not her best question after the way they parted. He blinked at her his head tilted slightly.

"Going for a walk," he strained his reply. "Uh-I didn't think you would be in the bakery this late." Marinette felt the echoes of her heart fluttering as he stepped toward her. "I'll start taking another way. I'm sorry if I bothered you."

Marinette ignored his last sentence hoping that her invitation would answer that question. "I was just about to make a practice batch for the competition...would you like to join me?"

"You mean it?"

"I mean-I don't want to interrupt your walk." Marinette had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't ramble, "I wanted some company."

"Then I am all yours." The way he said yours caused goosebumps to litter her arm. Even if this was a bad idea, it was too late to go back now.

An hour later the pair were doubled over in laughter not even noticing the blotches of flour remained from their playful war earlier that night. Adrien currently entertained them with funny stories of calls he had been dispatched on.

"We got the call, and I thought I heard wrong. The dispatcher said that some teenager had sustained some head injury from falling off a lion. But we got directed towards the zoo." Adrien was reveling in this feeling. Every time he looked over she was engaged listening on bated breath.

"No way," she swatted at his arm playfully almost causing him to mess up the story.

"Three teenagers decided it would be an amazing idea to break into the zoo and get up close and personal with the animals."

"What made decide to be a paramedic?" A soft, sad smile appeared as his eyes fell to the table instead of her.

"I love helping people when they need it. No matter what the outcome I know I did everything I could to save them." When he felt a warm hand slid on top of his Adrien's eyes jumped up to hers.

"I think it's amazing what you do for the city." Despite the reassurance she provided with a squeeze, Adrien still skeptically scoffed.

"I don't think my father would agree. He thinks I'm much better suited running the empire that he built."

"I'm sure you're more than capable of doing that too, but if you enjoy what you do, it hardly feels like work." Marinette jumped when Adrien's thumb started stroking the edge of her hand lovingly.

"Thank you," he murmured. The moment shattered when the timer rang signaling the end of the cooling period. Marinette removed two pieces, but before she could taste her creation, Adrien reached out and tugged on her arm.

"Wait, I have an idea, and we need to do this right." He acquires a perplexed look as he began wrapping a nearby clean towel.

"Adrien"- her vision darkened. "How am I supposed to eat it?"

"Leave that to me." She wasn't aware that he shifted until his hot breath lingered outside her ear. "Your senses are heightened this way. Have I ever led you astray...in culinary matters." Even though he couldn't see, Marinette rolled her eyes, and her lips released a giggle.

"Ok, I trust you, but no funny business." She gasped when his hands gently grabbed either side of her shoulders. "No funny business," he confirmed, but she could hear his smile. He guided her a few more steps, and she felt the stool, so she sat down grateful that she didn't fall in doing so. Her ears picked up the sounds of the fork gently scraping against the plate.

"Open," he whispered, and she immediately complied. The chocolate and peanut butter flavor danced on her taste buds leaving joy in their wake. Marinette released a hum of appreciation, but it ended in more of a moan.

Adrien was a train wreck, he thought this would be one of his better ideas, but the second that sound hit his ears, he was a goner. His eyes darted down to a crumble that rested on his lip and swallowed hard. She was close enough to close the gap without a second thought. He daydreamed what it would be like, but his promise to her kept him from acting on it.

"You got something..." his voice trailed away not trusting himself at the moment. He gently ran his finger along her lip knocking the morsel free. He jerked his hand back to the side afraid he let his touch linger too long. "Uh- How was it?"

"Perfect," Marinette struggled to maintain the illusion of control in her voice. "I think it's the base of recipes"- In the process of standing up, she didn't realize how close he had been until she slid off the temporary blindfold. Adrien eyes wide mouth parted slightly, and conflicting emotions conflicted emotions stamped on his features.

"That's great," he replied but made no effort to create more distance between them.

"Yeah," Marinette caved and let her eyes flicker down to his lips for only a second. "Adrien," she leaned in, and he followed suit just as their lips brushed-Alya's ringtone acted as an ice bucket splashing the two back to reality. Marinette's cheeks exploded with color as she slipped around him and fumbled to lift the phone to her ear.

"Hey Alya," Adrien's focus turned to the floor not wanting to eavesdrop, but on the other hand, it was hard to ignore when she was right there. "I'm at the bakery." She paused, and he managed to look up just enough to time to see him glance her way. "My date went fine, Alya…no, I'm not brushing you off. I don't want to talk about it right now." Adrien couldn't stop his heart from sinking off the high he experienced moments ago.

She had Adam. How could he forget?

If she had another date with Adam that meant that there was something between them, and he- almost ruined that.

Guilt ripped at his insides. He couldn't interfere if Marinette held any feelings for Adam he had to step back. He'd rather be her friend than not have her in his life at all.

When she rounded back, the look she sported screamed injured puppy, and his stomach turned to lead.

"I'm sorry-" he held out a hand to stop her from going any further.

"I'm the one that's sorry. We got caught up in a moment," Adrien paused internally cursing at what he was about to do. Plagg would tell at him later, but he started this off with a lie. He needed to be honest with her if he wanted any chance of a relationship in the future.

"I like you." _Probably more than I should_ , he mentally added. "But for now, I think it's best if we're friends." The word tasted bitter on his tongue. He couldn't be the reason their relationship wouldn't work.

"Friends?" She echoed bewildered.

"I still want to spend time with you."

As much as you'll give me.

"But I know you still have Adam, but I was thinking friends hang out, so I was hoping that maybe we could go on a friend date." He stopped before his word vomit could fully activate.

"I'd like that." Her smile radiated off her sending warmth through his body. "It's getting late; I should probably go home."

"Can I walk you?" His question born out of gut instinct. He didn't want their time to end. "You shouldn't be walking the streets this late by yourself."

"I would love to, but my car is right there." His heart deflated as they stepped out into the night air.

"Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight." There was a pause as she fiddled with her car keys. "Adrien?"

"Yes?" She closed the gap and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you." He barely caught sight of the subtle blush on her features.

"You're welcome," he stood there until her car drove off before he lifted his hand to his cheek. The kiss lingered, and Adrien found he couldn't break his dopey grin. Maybe there was hope after all.

Adrien unlocked the door and pushed his way into his apartment. Within moments he heard a soft sound. "I know I'm home later than I promised, I'm sorry." Where he picked up the habit of talking to his cat, he didn't know, but every time he did he felt less alone.

Another chorus of meows endured.

"But I can't wait to tell you all about my night." Adrien continued through the motions of opening the cat food and pouring it into the bowl. "She's amazing Chat; I wish you could meet her; you would like her." A glum sigh slipped through his lips. Although a friend date was less than a real date, it beat her not talking to him at all.

"I could talk to her for hours." He sunk back into the couch allowing his mind to replay the events of the night over and over. It got interrupted by Chat tracing his side flicking his tail in Adrien's face. "Alright, I get it bud." He scooped the black cat into his lap and began to stroke him earning a purr. The movement released his stress he pent up, about his father, the calendar and Marinette. The world faded leaving only him and his cat cuddled on the couch slowly allowing sleep to claim him.

* * *

 **A.N.- I ended it not on a cliffhanger, you all should be proud. Let me know what you think! If you have** tumblr **, go bother me on there, I do post spoilers and previews of the following week's chapter. Don't know if that interests you at all, but my** url **is the same as here. Until next week, or possibly sooner because I'm done my Secret Santa ( writing anyway) and Sweet Dreams.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.n.-I'm so blown away each chapter by your response. Further into the rabbit hole we go. Slight angst in this chapter because it was going to happen eventually.**

* * *

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Adrien admitted to Plagg when they were on cleaning duty. His initial plan was to ease into the topic, but apparently, his mouth decided it would be better to go rogue.

Plagg merely snorted shaking his head back and forth. "You're telling me, kid. I've never seen someone in as deep as you that's willing to put themselves in the friend zone." The comment poured salt into the wound. Adrien started to regret telling him the events of that night in the bakery.

Adrien slammed the towel down on the counter temper flaring. "What was I supposed to do? Tell her to forget about Adam and then kiss her senseless?" He realized that he raised his voice too loud as Charlie passed by the doorway one eyebrow cocked. Adrien's shoulders slumped down as he continued to dry the dishes.

"You make it sound like that's such a bad plan, but if you had, you wouldn't be in this situation." Plagg may have a point, but Adrien wasn't about to point it out. Things would turn out differently if he had caved and kissed her but at the cost of guilt and regret. He didn't want to be her second pick.

"She has _Adam_ , remember?" Adrien lowly growled. "I'm not going to screw this up by barging in assuming I'm the only one she has feelings for." Marinette wouldn't go on multiple dates with Adam if she didn't have feelings for him.

"But if memory serves, she went out with you first!" Plagg wagged his finger towards Adrien.

"Only because she thought I was Adam."

"But she didn't think you were Adam when you two almost made out in her kitchen the other night."

Adrien's cheek heated at Plagg's comment. "It was at her bakery," he muttered.

"That's what you focused on?" The sarcasm dripped from Plagg's voice. "You're hopeless."

"I'm so in over my head." Adrien groaned running his hands through his hair. "I really like her."

"You'll never get anywhere if you sit on your hands and wait. If you like this girl, you need to tell her regardless of the outcome."

* * *

The sound of Tikki's laughter could be heard from every corner of the bakery. Marinette paused kneading her dough just to listen. The sound brought an effortless smile to her lips. She had never heard her friend laugh so much in a long time, it sparked her curiosity. The dough got left on the table as she ventured towards the door. She just caught sight of Tikki leaning on the counter towards Adrien's friend...Plagg?

"Tell me!" She giggled again.

"Patience is a virtue, Cookie. I promised that I would tell when we were on a date."

"I want to Plagg, but"—

Instantly Marinette heard her tone change, and her toe began to grind into the floor. "Things with Marinette and Adrien are so in the air right now." Tikki wasn't letting things advance between them because of her? The thought caused her stomach to churn. Not anymore, not on her watch.

"So, you must be the reason for Tikki's mood the last week." She interrupted any flirting, but it was for a good cause. By the blush, she received from her friend she knew she hit the jackpot.

"Marinette, I can explain."

"There's no need to explain anything Tikki. It looks like you were just helping the customer feel welcome in the store, isn't that right?" She smiled towards Plagg, "Nice to see you again; I hope the cheese danish are satisfactory every single time."

"Adrien was right about one thing, you have the best pastries in the surrounding blocks," he purred, "Not to mention the most beautiful workers."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere today Plagg," Marinette shot back playfully. "If I give you too much free stuff, my other customers might think you get special treatment."

"Don't I get special perks for being best friend with your boyfriend?"

"What?" Tikki exclaimed.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She fought the blush spreading from ear to ear.

All the meanwhile Plagg's eyes twinkled in mischief. "Isn't he?"

The door chimed signaling and another customer. Marinette's eyes jumped to the door only for her gaze to land on one Adrien Agreste in the flesh. This time is was Tikki's turn to be surprised.

"Adrien? What are you doing here?"

"Visiting a friend."

Tikki glanced towards Marinette absolutely dumbfounded. When had this development occurred? Marinette always told her everything, guys were not an exception. "Is it a safe guess to realize that you're the reason for Marinette's behavior the last couple weeks," she teased back.

"I was actually wondering what days you're free? Nathalie finally sent over my schedule."

The name caused the edges of Marinette's lips to twitch down. If he wasn't fulfilling Gabriel's wishes to follow in his footsteps, why did he still have a schedule?

"What about Saturday early afternoon?" She replied although all resemblance of excitement was wrapped up remembering the night that the woman bribed her to stay away.

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice snapped her attention back to the room. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the lie rolled off her tongue. She hoped that it was easy enough to believe.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes?" Now wasn't the proper time to address this among paying customers and Plagg and Tikki. Maybe she would have enough courage to bring it up when they hung out together.

"Plagg and I have to go otherwise chief will skin us alive." His eyes softened, and a small smile emerged. "I'll see you Saturday." He fought the urge to kiss her hand again, it would bring up questions, and she would probably get grilled after he left.

"Wait!" Marinette blurted out. She dug out the pastries and pulled out a chocolate croissant. Bagged in a blink of an eye she slid it on the counter. "One for the road."

Adrien blankly stared at the baked good and then at her before he reached out and grabbed it. "Thank you," he replied with a warm smile, and the two were out the door.

"Did I hear Adrien ask you on a date?" Tikki teased.

"No," she countered. "We're just friends." The word left a bitter taste on her tongue.

* * *

Marinette sat at the coffee table hoping that if she recreated her first date with Adam that maybe things would end up differently. Adam showed a couple of minutes late, but he brought flowers, so she could overlook that fact.

"Hello beautiful," he greeted.

She thought her heart would flutter at the compliment, but instead, she felt nothing.

"How was your day?" She asked her hands cupped the coffee before pulling it towards her.

"Sorry I was late, but my boss pulled me aside, so he could tell me that he put me up for a partner. Partner, can you believe that?"

"That's great!" The two fell into a silence that was anything from comfortable. The only thing that filled the table was the dings coming from Adam's phone.

"I'm going to get a coffee. Maybe when I come back, you can tell me about that cook-off." He disappeared before she could correct him.

Marinette sunk further in her seat. She couldn't understand how hard it was to remember that she was in a baking competition. It was almost as if he hadn't listened to her the first time. Her phone buzzed and drew her gaze.

 **Adrien** : I hope you have an amazing day. Any luck on that peanut butter and chocolate combo?

The text caused her heart to skip a beat and drew out the smile she desperately needed. Adrien had the knack to swoop in right when she needed it.

 _Only_ _as_ _a_ _friend_ , she reminded herself. The thought was something she had to repeat constantly since he showed up at the bakery. She thought that he was going to kiss her, what's worse she wanted him to. The last thing she expected was Adrien to flip 180 and tell her that they needed to be friends because of Adam.

Marinette glanced over at her date standing in the coffee line glued to his phone. She wondered if Alya truly got to know Adam, would she still be so adamant to set them up? He worked all the time, striving for partner, but what he was giving up in the process didn't seem worth it. Yes, she worked long hours at the bakery, was that the same thing? Getting her second store listed among her top priorities, but she spent plenty of time with her friends and family.

"Sorry about that," Adam interrupted her thoughts as he took his seat. "I forgot how long the lines get."

"What do you like about me, Adam?" The question was blurted out before she could stop it, but even after it linger, she didn't regret it.

"What?"

"Out of all the conversation that we've had what's some things that you like about me, parts of my personality, hobbies, my ambitions?" The way he shifted uncomfortably in his seat made her stomach sink.

"You can't be serious." He shot back only to get distracted by another work email.

"I'm sorry I can't do," She motioned between them, "whatever this is anymore. I hope you make partner since you've made it very clear that's what you want." She stood up gathering her things as quickly as possible.

"Marinette—Marinette, come on!" Adam's protests were ignored. She breathed in the city's air when she exited the cafe, and a new sense of freedom overcame her.

Her fingers typed on her phone, and she pressed send before she had a chance to change her mind.

 **Marinette** : You too! I think I made some progress and I can't wait to tell you.

* * *

"You can do this. When Marinette opens the door just tell her how you feel." Unfortunately for Adrien, that was his plan A, at the moment. The week flew by as he focused on his plans with Marinette, but the day arrived, and he found him vastly unprepared of how to tell her his feelings. He hoped that she would agree, and this would turn into a date rather than whatever the hell a "friend date" was. He pushed himself up the stairs and pressed her buzzer before he could chicken out.

"Adrien?" Marinette's voice echoed over the speaker.

Adrien's eyes closed tight as he could feel the word vomit traveling up his throat. "I like you, and I know that you have Adam, but I think if you gave us a chance, I could make you happy—So what do you say?" The quiet that followed his rambling was deafening. He could hear the static from the speaker.

"I didn't catch any of that." Her words crackled. "Come on up, I'm almost ready."

The buzz jolted his attention to the door, and he stepped inside and headed to the stairs. 3 floors later he still had no idea what he was going to say when she opened the door, but it was too late to back up. He found that he dragged his feet when her door came in sight in an attempt to give himself more time.

After two knocks it only took 30 seconds for the door to fly open. This was it, his moment to tell her how he felt. Any words he had prepared fell to the pit of his stomach. Adrien's mouth ran dry, and his heart pounded against his chest.

"Ready to go?" Her hair wasn't pulled back like it normally was, it flowed free. A large comfy sweater swallowed her upper half and still came together to showcase her hips. Her dark jeans cling to her leg only to finish off the outfit with a pair of black boots.

"Yeah," he managed to answer. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

"So," He drew out the word his spoon hitting the bottom of the cup. "What do you do when you're not baking?" Adrien hoped that he could use this time as a groundwork to know her better. Some of the best relationships were built off friendships after all.

"I don't have free time outside the bakery." Marinette was impressed that she managed to get out an answer with how much her head was spinning.

She couldn't ignore the fact that she had heard Adrien confess that he wanted to date her, and she didn't know how to cope.

She couldn't ignore the fact that she raced around the apartment like a mad woman making sure every part of her outfit was perfect.

Marinette hoped that by the time Adrien had the nerve to confess again so would have an idea of what to say. It's not that she didn't want to date him, there were just complications that she hadn't figured a way to smooth out yet.

She didn't expect a chuckle out of her "date."

"Ok, if you did have free time, how would you spend it?"

"Drawing and painting." How she missed the day where she would curl up with her sketch pad on her lap, and her only company was a cup of tea. Running the bakery didn't leave time for the hobby anymore, and if it did, she found herself exhausted.

"Like actually painting?"

"No like finger painting," she teased sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"What would you create?" The two stopped and sat down on a nearby bench.

"I sketch designs," she hesitantly admitted, "for paintings, it's usually more landscapes or still art."

The way his face lit up caused her heart to flip in her chest.

"You sketch designs! That's amazing, I could introduce you to my father, and maybe he could give you a few pointers"-

"No!" she blurted out. If Gabriel didn't like her before, imagine if his son asked him to give her pointers. He would shred her pieces mercilessly. "It's ok, really. I'm rusty, and I'm sure your father has better things to do. Like I said if I ever had time those are my hobbies. I haven't picked up a paintbrush in years." She hoped that she reassured him enough to drop the subject.

"But why?"

"It's complicated," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed. I hope you share your art with me someday."

A new silence spread over them. However, it carried a different air from what she experienced in the cafe with Adam. She knew that she could tell Adrien her whole story, she wasn't ready to be that vulnerable yet. Her head came to rest of his arm while she wrapped her arm around his.

"Thank you."

"Hey," he coaxed, "want to show me your video gaming skills in a rematch?"

She couldn't see his face, but she could hear his smile. She nudged his shoulder with her body. "You're on, Agreste."

"I won." Adrien breathed as he stared straight ahead the fact still sinking in. He had been questioning his video game ability since the initial date. Although still distracted by her during the match, he had grown up with these games logging thousands of hours. If he had lost every match today, Adrien might have given up completely. "I won!" He repeated thrusting his fist up in the air forgetting his company for a couple of seconds.

"I told you that if we deviated from Mega Strike, it would be a more equal playing field. Congratulations," she leaned back in the seat resting her head eyes closed and a content smile resting on her face.

"You seem calm for someone who just got themselves handed on a plate."

"It wasn't that much of a landslide," Marinette responded without budging from her comfortable spot.

"So, you don't mind, for scientific reasons that we play again. Just to rule out you letting me win."

"If I didn't let you win on our first date, why would let you win now?"

"But"-

"Adrien, I didn't let you win." Marinette chided. It wasn't until she could feel warm on her hand, did she realize that somewhere along the way she had grabbed his hand to silence him. Heat shot up to her cheeks, and her hand snapped back to her side. "But if another game will calm your nerves, we can play another round." As if on cue, her stomach released a growl.

"Or I grab the carry out menus, and we can order before our next match. I'll be back."

Marinette watched him bound out of the room in a hurry and giggled to herself at his politeness. Her gaze drifted off as she took in the room for the first time since she got there. Her lips tugged up in a smile when she saw a head pop around the corner followed by a tail twitch.

"Well hello," she held out her hand but didn't move. "You must be Chat Noir. Adrien has told me all about you." The cat ventured closer and sniffed her hand releasing a meow. "See, I'm not so scary." Chat closed the gap and started to rub his tail up and down her leg. Marinette scratched his head in return earning a purr.

"Do you have a preference?" Adrien called from the kitchen.

"Surprise me!" She answered not holding back her smile.

Chat decided that her hand had been gone too long for his liking. He jumped up beside her crossing the space on her lap meowing louder.

Marinette turned her attention back to the cat scratching his ears and chin.

"He doesn't usually like strangers."

Marinette's gaze jumped to meet Adrien leaning against the doorway a bemused smile mixed among his facial features. "I don't see why, he's the sweetest thing."

"That's how he gets you eating out of the palm of your hand." Adrien's eyes watched as Marinette began to interact with the cat. This girl would be the death of him, but he somehow, he didn't mind.

"Marinette," his hand started to rub the back of his neck fighting the heat that rose throughout his face, especially when she turned to face him.

"Yes?" She found his green eyes so captivating and it almost transported her back to their time together at the bakery. Could this be it, what she had been waiting for all day?

"I—um—do you want to play another round?" He sighed mostly at his inability to tell her when it mattered.

"It's your funeral."

When they heard a knock, Adrien paused their match and jumped up from the couch. "It's probably the food." As disappointed as he was that he chickened out with his confession before, it gave him the chance to calm his nerves once more. Sweaty palms only left bad impressions as far as he was concerned. Adrien dug out our wallet and swung open the door.

"How much do I owe"- the person standing at the door was definitely not the delivery man.

"Silly Adrikins, all you ever owe me is your love and affection." After no comeback and no attempt to let her in; Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you going to let me in?"

Adrien glanced back in Marinette's direction thankful that Chat Noir had caught her attention once more.

"Now is not the best time."

"Nonsense, I called Nathalie, and she said that you didn't have anything on your schedule tonight." Chloe pushed her way past him into his apartment and stopped in her tracks.

"Who are you?"

"Marinette," she answered as confidently as she could. The fact that Chat Noir hissed and ran off the moment he saw her caused her nerves to be on end. "Who are you?"

"Chloe," the blonde replied wrapping her arms around Adrien. "I've been Adrien's friend forever."

Marinette could only watch as Adrien squirmed under her touch, but did very little to remove her.

"We share everything together, why am I not surprised he hasn't mentioned you." Chloe didn't even offer the curiosity of glancing in Marinette's direction.

"Maybe I should go," Marinette shifted in her spot wishing she had Chat Noir to distract her. She couldn't blame the cat that he ran and hide from such a cold person.

"That sounds like the best idea that you've had all day." Chloe jeered. "I missed the quality time with my Adrikins while I was in Milan. I have tons to catch him up on, we could go all night."

"Chloe," Adrien snapped.

But Marinette had already made up her mind, it was time to leave. She took large strides to reach the door as quickly as possible only to be thwarted when Adrien gently grabbed her arm.

 _Don't_ _go_ , he whispered with his pleading eyes.

Marinette almost listened. She hadn't had a chance to tell him everything. But whoever this Chloe was, she affectedly ruined the moment.

"I'll text you," she didn't know if she was lying or not. Chloe left a bitter taste in her mouth. She tried not to be cold towards him, it wasn't his fault.

"Marinette!" Despite his attempts, Adrien's call did no good as he watched her walk away. He shifted on his heels to face the woman who spoiled his perfectly blank evening.

"I thought she'd never leave," Chloe announces as she draped herself where they had been playing video games not even 15 minutes earlier. "It's amazing who you can just pick up the streets these days." She began explaining her nails lazily. "Not that I blame you, she had a certain cuteness to her."

"Chloe"- Adrien's blood boiled at what Chloe insinuated. She had no room to trash talk Marinette and draw untrue assumptions.

"If you wanted to piss off your father, I could see how she would do the trick. As long as you remember that I'm currently the only one your father approves of."

"You need to leave." He growled, "now!"

"But"-

"Now," to add to his point he marched back open to the door and opened it gesturing towards it.

"Adrikins-"

"I won't repeat myself again, Chloe."

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Fumes radiated off her as she stomped towards the door.

Adrien slammed it before she could get the last word in. Instantly he reached for his phone and frantically sent a message apologizing to Marinette and asking if she was okay. He resisted the urge to punch the wall. Losing her over a Chloe encounter wasn't an option.

A knock rang out through the apartment. Adrien rushed over. Maybe Marinette didn't make it that far, and he convinced her to come back. He threw open the door.

And his heart sank.

"Delivery for M. Agreste?"

Adrien sighed as he pulled out his wallet once more. "Yeah, that's me." He never expected to be eating the food they ordered...alone.

* * *

"Tikki, I have no idea what I'm doing." Marinette groaned the second the last customer had left her store. She had wanted to spill the second she got there but decided against it. Her customers didn't need to hear her dirty laundry, and there were enough of them to keep her busy for the next hour or so.

"For the competition or with Adrien?" Tikki teased.

Marinette sighed, she needed to get everything off her chest, and what better listening subject than Tikki? "We almost kissed yesterday," she confessed keeping her gaze fixated on a spot on the counter.

"What?!"

"He had to pull a smooth move like feeding me the cake we made together. The flavor proportions were perfect, Tikki, I hopped out of my seat, and before I knew what was happening, I was leaning in to kiss him." As she recounted the night, the memory played in her mind, and she knew she was a goner.

"He was so supportive, shared about his life, and I've never laughed that much since—" her voice faded out and Tikki gave a nod not needing further explanation. Since before her father passed away a couple years ago.

"Then what happened?" Tikki gently nudged hoping to prevent Marinette from dwelling on the painful emotions.

"Alya called and wanted about my date with Adam."

Tikki's eyes widened, "did you talk about your date with Adrien standing right there."

"No! I mean he might have heard that I went on a date; it would explain his behavior afterward. But my goal was to get Alya off the phone as quickly as possible."

"How did he react?"

"He said he thought it would be best if we stayed friends for now. That we got caught up in the moment."

"Well didn't you?" Tikki pushed.

Marinette eyed her tiredly. "I don't know, maybe!" She blurted* out. "But friends don't gaze into each other's eyes like we did, or kiss." That kiss haunted her for the past week. Her dreams came alive at night of what would have happened if the kiss would have continued, most of which involved the shredding of some clothes.

"But what about Adam?"

"He won't be coming around anymore."

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened, he's just married to his work. There's no spark between us."

"With Adam out of the way you can tell Adrien how you feel!"

"There are some minor setbacks with that," Marinette winced. "Adrien said that he just wanted to be friends, so if I tell him how I feel, then I'll look like an idiot. Not to mention how much of the idea is a hard sell to Alya. She's super overprotective of me and still holds a grudge against Adrien," she explained. "Then there's Adrien's father who for some reason thinks that I'm not fit to step foot anywhere near his son, and today I find out his childhood best friend that's obviously in love with him, but other than that no problem at all," she finished dryly allowing a small smirk to play her features.

"Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed. "You can't just give up. Alya will come around when she sees how happy you are. Adrien's father can't do anything to stop you two from dating."

"And what if Adrien wants to be just friends? What if he prefers Chloe?" The thought stung, but she couldn't do anything If was the case.

Tikki stretched out her hand and rested it gently on her shoulder. Numerous conversations with Plagg confirmed that wasn't the case, but she couldn't outright tell Marinette and break Plagg's trust, but that didn't mean she couldn't nudge her in the right direction.

"I think we both know that's not the case."

* * *

 **A.n.-Yeah... so that happened. Let me know what you think. I'll also be posting a Christmas one shot this weekend. Keep an eye out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. Take 2 because it didn't get saved in my drafts so I had to do this all over again. Hello lovely readers! I'm so sorry, I had surgery last week and realized I didn't update this. So forgive me, but you'll get this chapter and two more chapters this weekend.**

* * *

"Absolutely not! I forbid it." Gabriel's voice boomed. "I did not work as hard as I have for you to throw away your comeback on some trashy calendar!"

Adrien's eyes pinched closed at the tone of disappointment, something he never got used to over the years. Here he thought his father would be pleased that his co-workers convinced him into the gig. Apparently, it made the dinner they had scheduled together more awkward somehow. "It's not trash, father. It's for charity. The shots themselves are more tasteful than some of the advertisements in the industry." It wasn't a lie. Adrien had seen plenty of pictures in magazines that made him grateful he had gotten out of the modeling before his father got bolder with his choices. Not that his father would ever yield to the fact that he was wrong. His father was much too proud to admit anything of the sort. Adrien should have known that the dinner would have resulted in a fight, it was a pattern that they regularly fell into on a weekly basis.

"Rubbish," Gabriel scoffed. "Women ogling you every time they check what day it is in July"-

"February." Adrien hadn't been sold on the idea at first, but it grew on him when he focused on how many people they could help. The thought that one of the women may be Marinette made him more comfortable with the idea, and the fact that the idea ticked off his father was the icing on the cake.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Charlie landed the July spot. He argued that it should belong to him since he's so hot. None of us wanted to hear him complain, so we kind of gave it to him"-

"Enough, Adrien!" Gabriel lost control and slammed his fists on the table. "Your behavior has become unacceptable as of late. You're blowing off your responsibilities and lashing out at your friends. It isn't like you."

"That's what this is about?" Adrien's body went rigid. He had hoped that he could get in front of his actions with his Chloe situation. Apparently, she had slipped a one-sided over dramatic hissy fit to her father which would have been passed on to his father. "She deserved it, you wouldn't believe how she treated my guest."

"Mlle Dupain Cheng, I assume?"

The simple comment gutted Adrien of his air supply. How did his father know Marinette? Is that why she was so against showing him her sketches. His father couldn't have orchestrated their meeting, Marinette was out of the scope he normally chose. Besides, if she has been his choice, then his annoyance would be replaced with gently prodding.

"It's not your concern whom I spend time with."

"I think you'll find that it does matter as long as you carry the Agreste family name. If you are to assume your role in your rightful place"-

"I'm not going to take over the company." Adrien spot back his knuckles white from his clenched fist.

"I like my job and helping people, and you would have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me to leave. I'm doing the calendars and going to appear on the cover and in February, so you can either actually support me or stop complaining." It would have been fine if he ended it there, but his father insinuated that Marinette wasn't worth his time. "And as for Marinette, I happen to like her, a lot. There's nothing you could do or say to change my mind. She is one of the most hardworking people I know. She kind, passionate, and absolutely beautiful. So, in fact, she is the very kind of company I intend to keep." Adrien would have gladly continued to berate his father, but Gabriel was as stubborn as they come. It would be wasted breath. "Now if you excuse me, I would rather be anywhere else but here." He matched off ignoring his father demanding his attention. As soon as he exited the mansion, he realized that going off on his father, probably not the best idea, but he needed to stick to what he said. One of the first things he needed to do in the morning was to apologize to Marinette.

* * *

"So, Cookie," Plagg practically purred as he leaned across the counter. "As much as I love these little chance encounters we have, when are you going to let me take you on a real date?"

This had become normal for them. Plagg would come in most morning order three cheese danishes, flirt with her, and every now and then bring up the possibility of a date. This had been the first time since Marinette had meddled. It meant that she couldn't hide behind that shield. It wasn't that she didn't want to, because she _really really_ did. The thought of going out with Plagg, made the butterflies flutter in her stomach. What if she messed up or said something stupid? Tikki's lip became captive between her teeth, and her gaze fell to the counter. "I don't know."

He couldn't understand why she was hesitant, every time he had flirted with her, she was receptive or even encouraged the behavior. He couldn't have misread her signals. She couldn't have been flirting because that was part of her personality. What if she was flirting to be polite? The smile on Plagg's face fell.

He knew one day he would push too hard and screw up his love life, but he never imagined it would be with Tikki. On days he went to the bakery, seeing her was the highlight of his day. If backing off saved whatever they had, he would do it. "It's fine," he tried to shoot his most reassuring smile, but sure he failed. "I won't ask again." The danishes felt a lot heavier than normal, but it could have been his disappointment weighing down the bag. "I should probably go." Whether she was flirting with him or not, if she wasn't ready to go on a date, he couldn't force her. For his own sake, some space might be best. He exited the bakery allowing one glance back after he was outside. He began the small hike to his car when he heard it.

"Plagg!"

He could have been imagining things, or that's what he told himself until his name got called a second time. Slowly he turned towards the owner of the voice to see Tikki barreling down the street in an attempt to catch him.

"Is something wrong?" He instantly reached out to support her when she closed the gap between them. Green eyes did a quick check, but she didn't seem hurt.

"Yes."

Plagg's heart pounded in his chest. He just left the bakery, and everything seemed fine. "What is it? Was there a problem with the oven? He wished his extent of knowledge regarding a bakery was more expansive, but he could do anything he could to help. When Tikki laugh filled the air, Plagg froze.

"I meant yes, I'll go out with you."

"Really?" He breathed out still in shock. Plagg didn't know what caused her to change his mind, but his heart went from wallowing in his stomach to soaring in the clouds within a couple of seconds.

"Just text me the details," she hesitated again before kissing his cheek quickly. "I should go back. I shouldn't have left the store but call me." She backed up a couple of steps a grin forming, "and I expect an explanation for cookie!"

Within a blink of an eye, she was gone, and all Plagg could manage to do was raise his hand to his cheek allowing his blush to take over.

* * *

Alya looked from her desk when one of the interns informed her that she had a visitor. She rarely had visitors at work because they asked her to go into the field a lot to cover stories. Imagine her surprise when Nino sheepishly walked up to her desk with lunch. That only meant that one thing; he was trying to butter her up before he delivered bad news.

"Hello, Beautiful," he stole a kiss and placed the food on her desk. "I thought that maybe I would surprise you with lunch today."

"Spill it," She crossed her arms across her chest.

Nino didn't know what he was doing here. When he got the news, he knew it was best if Marinette told her the news, but since that was unlikely due to how Alya would react, he would have to break it to her before she found out from another party. But that didn't mean that he didn't want to blurt it out right away, not when he had a lunch they could enjoy first. "What are you talking about it?" It wasn't his best blank, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

Alya pointed towards the food, "you only do this when you want to tell me something."

"Alya"-

"Spill it."

"Adam texted me," Nino confessed as he flinched slightly. "Marinette broke up with him."

"What?" Alya banked. "Why would she do something like that?" She began to pace by her desk, never a good sign. Unfortunately, he knew his girlfriend well enough to know what her next step was, and that was exactly what he was here to prevent.

"I'm sure she had a good reason, Aly. I want you to promise that you're not going to meddle."

"But what if she's making a huge mistake? Let's be honest, Marinette hasn't had the best of luck in the romance department. I don't want to stand idly by as she goes and blows the chance that she has at happiness."

"But you don't even know the reason they broke up." Nino took the opportunity to try and distract her by wrapping his arms around her before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You're right," she sighed into his chest. The conversation had ended until Alya's mind began turning. "That's why I need to get it straight from the source!"

"Alya"- Nino's warning voice was ignored.

"Then I can look into her eyes and know if she broke up with because she's scared of messing it up."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm going to go see her right now! Thanks for lunch, babe!"

Nino watched his girlfriend bound out of the office a new wave of excitement that his girlfriend only got when she was chasing a new lead. He supported Mari in her decision, but it seemed that Alya took more convincing. The least he could do would be to warn her that Alya had begun her warpath.

"Hopefully you get this," he muttered as he quickly typed out a message. "Otherwise you might be in for a surprise." And here he had hoped for a nice sit-down lunch.

* * *

The bell above the door jingled drawing her attention from the customer in front of her. Adrien. He offered a small smile, and she didn't know how she felt. All she knew was the first thing that came to mind was Chloe all over him, and a wave of nausea hit her like she was punched in the gut. What would she even say?

The time to figure that out was dwindling as the customer paid and left and it became Adrien's turn.

"What can I get you?" Her tone came off professional as if she had never met him before. It was wrong, all wrong.

"A chocolate croissant, and a chance to explain?" He replied meekly.

"I can provide the croissant, but I'm busy."

"Tikki can watch the counter, please Mar." His eyes pleaded with her, and she caved.

"Ten minutes."

The two found a table in the corner with relative ease. Marinette's eyes fell to the table unsure how exactly to start this conversation. It's not like she could outright ask what his relationship status with Chloe was.

"She's not my girlfriend." He stated as if he could read her mind. "I have no romantic feelings for Chloe whatsoever. If it makes the situation better, I kicked her out after you left."

That certainly caught her attention, and for the first time since the incident, she wished she stayed. "Really?" There was no reason for him to lie, and what's worse, she wanted to believe him.

Adrien nodded without a moment of hesitation.

Marinette knew there had to be a story behind their friendship. Adrien wouldn't randomly go about befriending such rude and arrogant people. The question could be considered inconsiderate and nosy, but slowly her curiosity outweighed what Adrien might think of her. "How do you know her?"

"Chloe has been a childhood friend since we were little. She was the only friend I had for a long time. She was there for me when my mom passed away just like I was there for her when her mom decided to leave their family to advance her career. Chloe was devastated. There were days on end where she would sit and cry in her room, and I was the only person she would agree to see."

Marinette could tell that telling her brought back unpleasant memories, she was grateful all the same.

"There was a point where we talked about becoming a couple back in lychee, but we agreed that it wouldn't work. Chloe isn't used to sharing me, she had a tough transition when I went into my job and even more when-when certain romantic elements came into play in my life. It didn't turn out as we planned and that caused her to be even more protective of me. She means well, but sometimes she goes overboard."

As protective as Adrien claimed her to be, he was probably clueless with how Chloe actually felt towards him. That wasn't his fault; he probably thought that her behavior was normal.

If she simply gave up on Adrien, Chloe won. Besides, as scary as Chloe thought she was, even she could barely light a candle to Gabriel, and she already undoubtedly invoked his wrath.

"Besides," Adrien added, "there were plenty of other things I would have rather done than eating dinner by myself on a Friday night."

Marinette didn't even need to match his gaze to know he was referring to their 'non-date.' "Oh," she replied innocently, "Like what?"

"Well before I was interrupted so rudely by Chloe, I was enjoying this girl's company, and I didn't want the day to end." His eyes sparkled as he spoke as if his smile alone couldn't convey his emotions.

"She sounds special." Whether Marinette realized it or not she had leaned towards him. Two could play that game.

"She is. She is the most amazing person I've ever met." His eyes never stayed, and as a reward he witnessed pink tint rise to the surface of her cheeks.

"That's quite a compliment," she bantered back trying to regain control over herself, "tell me more."

Adrien matched her lean and found his hand ever so slightly sliding across the table towards hers. "She has this amazing laugh that I could listen to her jokes for hours. There's this thing that she does when she's nervous she pushes the hair behind her ears."

Marinette, in turn, pushed her hair behind her ear at that moment, now aware of the side of his pinky bumping against her hand.

"Not to mention she could beat anyone in a video game match and her skills in the kitchen are unmatched. I heard she's one of the favorites to win the baking competition next month."

The compliments dripped off his tongue like honey, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take before her blush matched that of a tomato. By his grin, he ate up how his words affected her. "A little birdie told me that she had help from an amazing guy figuring out a winning combination." She wrapped her pinky around his, and the two pairs of eyes snapped to each other. At the moment she wasn't sure if she was referring to the chocolate and peanut butter or the idea of them.

"Marinette, how lovely to see you," Marinette broke the stare and smiled at one of her longer-term customers; Mrs. Petit. "And with your boyfriend no less. My, my how handsome he is." The elderly woman then turned to Adrien. "She's a keeper, don't let her go" Marinette opened her mouth to correct her, but Adrien cut in before she had the chance.

"I'm reminded every time I see her smile." He replied without a moment of hesitation but couldn't help but notice the second that her hand jerked off the table to join her other hand in her lap. His lips twitched into a frown. Had he been too forward? His only intention was that make an awkward situation more comfortable. In his experience, it was better to simply play along then go through the hassle of correcting them. What made the situation messier was he wanted that kind of relationship with her.

Mrs. Petit smiled at the pair and went on her way.

He knew he would have to do some damage control because he had toed "So," Adrien drew out the word leaning closer to her over the table. "I have this charity photo shoot at my work this weekend, and I was hoping that maybe you could stop by. For moral support – as a friend obviously." It was better safe than sorry.

"Right," Marinette breathed out, "a friend." She hated the way that sounded, especially when she knew how he really felt. Now the word tasted of ash on her tongue. The best thing to do would be to talk about the opportunity and tell him right and there. "Adrien," she caught his attention once more, which made her stomach twist further into a knot. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she was in way too deep. The last time she felt any semblance of this was with Nathaniel, but Adrien had him beat by a long shot. "There's something I need to tell you." She decided it was a good of a start than any.

Adrien's eyebrows knit together with concern. He watched her open her mouth to answer, but she didn't get the chance. "Where's Marinette?" Alya's voice boomed as she entered the bakery.

Marinette flinched; of course, she had to show up now. The second she saw them, conclusions would be drawn, and she could have some explaining to do even though nothing happened but harmless flirting. She had two options, and unfortunately, the right one meant she would have to deal with whatever ideas her best friend had thought up*. "Alya, what are you doing here?"

"Who is he?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is _he_ the reason that you broke up with Adam?"

"What?"

It wasn't exactly how Marinette pictured Adrien finding out.

"This is Adrien," She replied hoping that she imagined the gawking coming from the other side of the table. He probably thought that she was trying to hide this from him, which couldn't be further from the truth. She was waiting for the right opportunity to bring it up, if she blurted it out the moment she saw him, it would scream of desperation. Besides, the knowledge would change the dynamic she had just gotten used to.

"You mean the blind date that pretended to be Adam and didn't correct her?"

Adrien swore he shrunk to the size of a ladybug with the way Alya glared at him. His mistake had come full circle, and there was no excuse. It made him all the more surprised when Marinette's voice cut through the air.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Alya. Adrien explained, and it was all a big misunderstanding." And what had been more important was the conversation they had about the initial incident. Her initial instinct was to trust him. Maybe she would regret the choice if he played her again, but she had to trust her gut. Alya would probably never understand her decision to do so, but her best friend would have to get over that fact.

"Well then, I need to have a word with sunshine boy."

Adrien let out a yelp as Alya pulled him up out of his chair by his shirt and started to pull him away from the table. She was deceptively strong for someone her size. Despite Marinette's protests, Alya dragged Adrien into the back and pushed him into the pantry and closed the door so they would have privacy.

"What's your angle?" her tone stirred any tension lingering in the air.

"I'm sorry?" Adrien didn't blame Alya for being protective of Marinette; she was incredible after all. Now all he had to do was convince her that his only "angle" was that he liked spending time with her. "Marinette and I are just friends." For once the sentence, if nothing else to help ease the tension.

"So you're saying if she asked you out right now you would turn her down?" Silence echoed between them which gave Alya her answer.

"I'm not going to sit here and deny that I have feelings for Marinette. Who wouldn't like her, she's driven, compassionate, talented, and kind. We both concluded that for the moment that we're better off as friends, so how I feel for her is irrelevant." If Marinette did ask him, he would answer yes in a heartbeat. The sudden knowledge that Adam was no longer in the picture left him dizzy and full of questions, starting with, why didn't she tell him? They were flirting at the table, he was sure of it. Alya would know better than he ever would, but to get her insight, he would have to win her trust first. "Look," he sighed, "I know you don't like me. I made mistakes in the past with Marinette and our date, so you have no reason to trust me, but I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. If you give me a chance, then allow me to prove that to you."

Alya stood there looking at him for far longer than made him comfortable. He started to squirm in his spot while he waited for an answer.

"You really like her, don't you?"

Adrien found that he could only offer a smile, "I do." He probably liked her more than was reasonable for going on two dates. "Although I'm not sure that she doesn't feel the same." Adrien was surprised to feel a hand resting on his shoulder.

"I doubt that, if she did not like you, she wouldn't have defended you." She cracked a smile. "But let me be clear if you hurt her? I know exactly where to hide your body."

Adrien didn't know if she was serious, but he did not want to test his luck.


	7. Chapter 7

**A.n.- So get ready for like daily updates.**

* * *

"I appreciate that you are coming with me, Tikki, but I have to ask; what's with the cakes?" She enquired as they started their walk towards the station. Marinette felt relief when Tikki said that Plagg invited her to the shoot too; it meant she was not alone. It was more of Tikki's priorities when it was time to leave that caused Marinette to cock an eyebrow. She had immediately boxed up a chocolate cake and cheesecake before she announced that she was ready to go. Marinette didn't question her at first, but the longer they walked, the more curiosity got the better of her.

"Plagg said that they needed a chocolate cake and that he would pay when we got there," Tikki responded not looking her friend in the eye.

"And the cheesecake?" Marinette teased. She may have enjoyed watching the blush grow on her friend's cheek too much. After Tikki had told her what happened, she couldn't be happier for them. They had set their official date for tomorrow evening, and she knew that her friend must be all kinds of nervous. But from what she'd seen, the two complemented each other well. As far as Marinette was concerned; it was about time.

"I just figured Plagg would work up an appetite. If it's a problem"-

"It's not, Tikki," she chuckled as she nudged her gently.

She glanced over at Marinette before her gaze slipped back to the baked goods. "I'm sure Plagg wouldn't mind sharing some with Adrien."

Marinette couldn't help but snort. "Then you haven't heard the stories of Plagg protecting his cheese."

"Maybe that's why he ordered the chocolate cake, for you and Adrien to share."

As good as that sounded, Marinette knew that if that were the case, she and Adrien would experience something different than the new couple. The "friends" experience. Adrien had tossed around the word so much that she started to doubt she heard his confession right the first time.

"You should tell him how you feel." This time it was Tikki's turn to nudge Marinette, "I can't believe you've waited this long especially after he told you how he felt."

There were a couple of drawbacks with Tikki's supposed well-placed plan. The biggest among them was that Adrien made it clear that he wanted her there as a supportive friend; he said so himself. If she were to confess how she felt, it might throw him off and ruin the very shoot she was there to support. Her mind had mercilessly gone over everything that could go wrong the second she stepped out of the bakery.

"I'll tell him if the opportunity presents itself," she promised, although the chances were slim. Adrien would probably be too busy running around to even notice that she was there. Most of her time would probably be dedicated to making sure that Tikki wouldn't fumble over her interactions with Plagg.

The station came into view and the first thing impossible to miss was all the lights and equipment set up, the second; the number of shirtless men running around.

"What kind of photoshoot did Adrien say this was?" Tikki asked as an EMT ran in front of them, shedding his jacket as he went.

"He didn't." It took Marinette all of a minute to realize she had agreed to attend a photoshoot where Adrien would be running around shirtless most of the afternoon.

They were directed inside by a flirtatious guy named Charlie. Marinette noted not to tell Adrien that he said if things didn't work out with 'the model' that he would be more than willing for a shot. The second the two walked in all teasing stopped in an instant.

Marinette didn't know if she should commit the scene in front of her to memory for teasing purposes or bleach her mind, because without warning the two had stumbled upon Plagg's photo shoot. Nothing would prepare her for a half-dressed Plagg with a Santa hat laying out on a bearskin rug and a fake fireplace behind him.

Tikki almost dropped the cakes. If it weren't for Marinette, she'd be a pile of goo on the floor the shade of aflame hair. She would claim she was in heaven if it wasn't for the uncomfortable heat that started to generate between her thighs.

"Cookie!"

Tikki attempted to hide her fire truck face behind the boxes she had. It was hard enough to remain calm and collected when he wasn't interacting with her. Now that he spotted her it was too late to hide.

"You're here," he purred as he did his best to bring her in for a side hug. "I was hoping to see you, and I see you brought a treat to reward me for all the hard work I've been doing." Plagg took both boxes setting the chocolate one on a nearby table and breathing deep the smell of the cheesecake.

"You sure look like you're working hard," Marinette teased only to receive a stunted glare.

"It's the process. Representing the month of happiness, joy, and snow is hard." A flicker of a smirk graced his lips. "In fact, why don't you run that chocolate cake upstairs to the kitchen. Adrien needs it for his shoot."

Everything about the suggestion felt like a trap, but with Tikki mellowed down and snuggled up with Plagg, she found herself grabbing the chocolate cake off the table and wandering in the direction of the stairs. With each step, she tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever scene waited for her at the top. She saw a couple of rose petals, and her heart leaped inside his chest. Maybe he was given June, and he would have flowers everywhere; that she could handle. Thankfully her eyes caught a group away from the flower path; Adrien was among them. He didn't notice her presence at first. Instead Chat Noir claimed his attention. It warmed her to watch him run to his nose through the cat's fur affectionately. Marinette smiled at the sight and allowed her gaze to linger on the pair. Anyone could tell exactly how much he loved that cat.

"Adrien, can we get a few for the cover with the cat?"

He nodded and allowed Chat Noir to climb up on his shoulder before he began to pose.

Marinette placed the chocolate cake on a table and leaned against a beam.

Without warning, Adrien's cat took a flying leap off his shoulder and headed straight for Marinette. Chat weaved through her legs running himself through her legs as he went. Marinette scooped him up into her arms. "Have you been a good kitty, Chat Noir?" She teased and started to pet long strokes through this fur. A loud purr filled the airspace until Marinette managed to look up to see Adrien in front of her. Her mouth dried up as her eyes wandered over his exposed shimmering chest. With all eyes on her due to Chat Noir, Marinette couldn't stop the onslaught of heat that spread to every inch of her face.

 _She was in trouble._

"It seems that you have made quite the impression on Chat," he smiled smugly before tentatively reaching out to retrieve his cat. He had wondered what this encounter would be like, but despite being sexified, his knees still shook out of nerves. How could she provide this sensation every time she saw him? Maybe Plagg was wrong, but he couldn't send her away now. The only thing he could do was fake it until he was in the clear.

Marinette almost wished that she could have kept him to hide her blush. "I'm sorry if I ruined the shoot, I meant to sneak in." She had been invited by Adrien as moral support, but when she accepted, she hadn't expected a sexy paramedic shoot. The images were burned into her mind and fuel many daydreams for the future.

"It's not a problem, really. Nathan was taking some extra shots." Adrien pointed behind him to the photographer fiddling with his camera.

It took all but a second for Marinette to recognize him; she couldn't forget if she tried. The man who was in charge of photographing Adrien just happened to be her ex-boyfriend. Granted the situation would be more awkward if they had left on more hostile terms, but Marinette still inwardly cringed when Nathaniel turned and spotted her.

"M!" He exclaimed throwing his arms around her in a hug because that's who he was as a person.

"Hey Nath," she replied but lacked the enthusiasm he had. Marinette did her best to avoid Adrien's questioning gaze.

"You two know each other?" Adrien asked trying his best not to let the jealous streak rise to the surface. Nathaniel seemed like a cool guy, but he didn't like how long he hugged Marinette. By watching her body language, it was easy to deduce that Marinette wasn't 100% comfortable. The doubt crept in that maybe he had hired the wrong photographer, even if he had offered to do the shoot for barely anything in return.

"Marinette and I go back; we were a thing for a while, isn't that right?"

Adrien wasn't sure what caused him to freeze more, the information that he hired her ex unbeknownst to him, or the way that Nathaniel playfully bumped her with his hip caused a new shade of pink to her features.

"A long time ago," Marinette managed to get out, not looking Adrien in the eyes until Nathaniel filled the silence.

"What brings you to the shoot? Do you regularly come to the station?"

Adrien knew that he shouldn't feel as smug as he did when Marinette's eyes snapped to him, but it did cause his heart to swell.

"I invited her." He answered hoping that it would take some of the pressure off Marinette. While the statement was true, Adrien feared that Nathaniel would draw conclusions. He wanted nothing more than to be Marinette's boyfriend, but right now their relationship could be considered fuzzy at best.

Nathan glanced between the pair as his hands started to fidget with the settings on his camera. "Well, I'll let you catch up as I set up for the next background. I'll call you when I'm ready."

Adrien didn't know if the gap that Nathaniel left made things more awkward, but here they were, and he needed to say something—anything to ease them into their normal.

"I'm glad you could make it."

"This is—incredible." Something of this magnitude caught her completely off guard, but maybe she hadn't been to enough charity shoot to know better.

"My father and I sat down and after some… negotiations. He agreed to provide whatever funds needed for the shoot."

"Wow." From what she had heard from Adrien, that would be the last thing his father would do. She only hoped that he wouldn't agree to something that he didn't approve of, just so that could have the shoot.

"I know, I couldn't believe it," Adrien chucked to himself. As much as he would like to believe that his father was offering out of the goodness of his heart, experience said that there were strings attached. But none of that mattered because she was here. It wasn't as if his father would do anything here with the crew watching, so Adrien was determined to enjoy his time with Marinette. His eyes shifted to the white box on the table and his nose crinkled, "What's that?" Whatever it was, it looked delicious.

"Plagg said you needed a chocolate cake for your shoot."

Adrien froze. He was going to kill Plagg. A joke had started between them that if there were a chocolate cake at the shoot, then one of the shots would involve Marinette running a finger through the icing and Adrien getting the chance to lick her clean. Plagg said it would be a way to kickstart their relationship, but all Adrien could recognize was the heat spreading through his cheeks and ears.

"Adrien?"

His gaze snapped to hers, everything else muffled and dulled around him. He had spaced out, probably didn't hear a word Marinette had said and then started blushing. What a _fantastic_ start.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." The fact that he managed not to answer without stuttering.

"Is something wrong with the cake?"

"No! The cake is perfect—because you made it— not that it wouldn't be perfect if Tikki made it, but both of you know what you're doing and very confident— in the bakery!" He turned with the cake to try and hide the blush but ran into another photographer or one of his helpers. They muttered something about it being perfect and taking the box from his hands. It got carried off before he could protest.

"So," Marinette cleared her throat while pushing a fallen piece of hair behind her ear. "We saw Plagg downstairs, and he was representing December. What month do you have?"

"February." There shouldn't be a reason to be bashful, the month was on an equal playing field as with the other months for importance. There was something with it being associated with Valentine's Day, so he was representing the idea of love. He knew exactly what set up was in the other room, and if Marinette intended to watch his shoot. He could fight the blush and embarrassment that was evident across his face, or he could muster up some fake confidence and could own it.

"Adrien, we're ready for you."

He nodded to the assistant and turned back to Marinette. "Could you hold Chat? I don't want him interrupting." His cat looked almost smug curled up in Marinette's arms. "Wish me luck." He could have melted at the smile she offered to him.

"You don't need it."

Marinette followed behind Adrien and the photo crew and immediately noticed that they were following the rose petals. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw the roses in the shape of the giant heart. Candles littered the room, and her cake rested on a platter in the middle. Her instant instinct was to run downstairs where she had Tikki for comfort. However, her feet might as well have been weighed, because she couldn't move. But once Adrien's shoot started, he instantly captured her focus as he eased in between poses like second nature. With each new position, she felt her stomach flutter with butterflies. It was a battle to fight the pink dust forming across her cheeks when their eyes interlocked. Adrien would mouth things to her in between takes, or even wink when able. She even flirted back, but when Adrien was instructed to sensually lick some chocolate icing off his fingers, it caused her to turn away to hide the lip curled between her lips and fire spread across her cheeks.

"My son is quite the specimen, isn't he?"

A chill filled the air when the words inched down Marinette's spine. She hadn't even noticed the older man's presence until he spoke.

"M. Agreste," She stammered because there was no doubt that anyone else would cause her to react in such a way with a single stale sentence.

"I'm under the presumption that your presence here indicates your response to my _generous_ proposal." Gabriel didn't grant her the courtesy of turning towards her. Instead, his stone poker face stayed glued on his son attics. All of Adrien's childish behavior only perpetuated whatever feud they had and at the center was the girl. He hadn't expected that his son would have been so bold invited her here, it seemed that her reach was farther than he had known.

"As generous as your offer was, M. Agreste, I decided that I'm invested in your son's happiness and company. So, you see, I have no choice but decline."

"If you truly cared for my son's happiness then you would realize that you are not the best thing for him."

"From what I've heard, you only want what you see fit. Your son loves this job, and he's good at it. Your son is happy with his life, just the way it is."

"I beg your pardon."

Marinette didn't have time to bite back a response because Adrien made his way towards them placed his hand on Marinette's shoulder, sliding himself between the two.

"Father, I wasn't aware that you would be here."

"I figured I would come to check on my investments," Gabriel replied, but anyone reading into the conversation could feel the tension building. M. Agreste couldn't be more annoyed at Marinette's presence. "Everything looks to be in order."

"The chief is downstairs if you need to talk to him and get everything in order. Nathaniel said that it shouldn't take too long to get the calendars out for sales."

"Very well." Gabriel knew that he had to be strategic with his battles, and this one wasn't worth fighting. He nodded, turned on his heels and made his way towards the stairs. On the way, he dug his phone from a pocket and dialed a very familiar number.

"Nathalie, send for the car and make sure you bring my car. I'm going to make sure this calendar never reaches the public."

"I didn't know he would be here," Adrien blurted out the second he was sure his father was out of earshot. The one thing he couldn't shake was how when he watched them interact, it seemed that they were familiar with each other.

"It's fine," she reassured him. "You were amazing out there."

"Well, there may have been this girl I was trying to impress." Adrien ran his hands through his locks, and his lips pushed back into a smile.

"Is that so?" Marinette shot him an amused look, "did it work?"

"I'll let you know." Adrien pulled out the rose from his shoot offered it out to her.

Marinette took it from him, "Maybe I need more time to make a decision." There was no hiding the flirtation in her voice.

"What would you suggest?" He didn't want to get his hopes up if she didn't mean what he thought she meant.

"A date."


	8. Chapter 8

**A.n-You all are so amazing! I can even start to thank you for how much your support means to me. Here's the next chapter. Adrienette date! Saturated in the fluff.**

* * *

"I can't believe I asked him out," Marinette continued to pace her way through the floor. Not that she regretted asking, she wanted this. But that didn't stop the butterflies from causing a massive flutter-storm inside her stomach. What was more of a shock was that Adrien suggested that he was free that night. It had to mean he was eager too—or maybe it was the only time he had available; either way, it did nothing for her nerves.

She turned back to her bed and the various outfits planned, none had grabbed her attention. She would have to choose soon unless their plans drastically changed, and clothing was optional.

Marinette groaned as she flopped down on her bed. Thinking about Adrien in that capacity was anything but helpful at the moment, but she found that ever since this afternoon every time she closed her eyes her mind automatically conjured a shirtless Adrien, and then her imagination kicked in.

 _No_.

As much as Adrien daydream would be a perfect distraction, the real Adrien would be at her apartment in less than 30 minutes. She grabbed the black dress and threw it on figuring it was better than indecisiveness. It only left the issue of her hair and makeup to manage. Her hair could remain down; it had retained a slight wave due to some braids she had in the previous day. The makeup routine took longer than she wanted, but she still managed to finish just in time to hear the buzzer. She pushed the unlock button just in time her nerves to resurface.

 _You_ _can_ _do_ _this_. _It's_ _just_ _a_ _date_ _with_ _Adrien_. _You've_ _hung_ _out_ _with_ _him_ _plenty_ _of_ _times_. _This_ _time_ is _no_ _different_ —

But it _was_ different. There were no just friend labels to hide upon and by his behavior at the photo shoot; he liked her too. The knock on the door gathered her attention, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. She swung open the door to see Adrien, a charming smile on his features and flowers in hand. His lips barely ghosted either side her face, and she heard him utter, "you look stunning," before her knees began to wobble. If she felt this way before the date started, she was in trouble.

"What was I thinking?" Adrien muttered to himself as he threw his car into park. Accepting a date was one thing but suggesting it for the very same day. Did he want to reek of desperation? Even still, she agreed, so things couldn't be all that bad between them.

He didn't make a move from his car, suggesting the date be the same day was one thing, showing up at her house 20 minutes early was entirely different.

He couldn't help it; he had gotten overzealous when she asked him out, he didn't want to wait any longer than he had to. He spent the remainder of his afternoon setting up for that night, but it would be worth it if she had a good time.

It was agonizing watching time slug by with no intention to be kind. Adrien only hoped that it would supply the same courtesy when he was on the date. He grabbed the flowers off the back seat and slowly made his way towards the door. It didn't take long for her to buzz him in, he hoped that was a good sign. His heart raced when he reached the top of the stairs, but it wasn't from the exercise.

Adrien closed his eyes as he raised his hand to knock. It was now or never.

The door swung open, and the second his eyes landed on her his breath got caught in his throat. He was in _trouble_. Every time he thought she couldn't get more beautiful she went and proved him wrong. He leaned in to greet her with a kiss on both sides. In the process, "you're stunning," slipped from his mouth causing instant color on his cheeks. Thankfully when he pulled back, he saw he wasn't alone. Although Marinette in a state of fluster had to be more attractive than he was.

He watched her eyes flicker down to the flowers that he almost forgot he had. In one swift motion, he thrust them in her direction. "For you," he was surprised his voice stayed level. "I saw them and thought of you."

Marinette accepted the flowers cradling them in her arm. "They're lovely," she paused to inhale their scent. "Let me put them in some water and then we can go."

"Sounds perfect," he breathed out.

"Adrien, how did you get a reservation here on such short notice?" The question tumbled out when Adrien opened her car door. He had agreed to the date only hours ago. Septime was not the most popular destination in Paris, but surely, he needed to place reservations a day in advance. She noticed the pink tint spread and almost regretted asking.

"I might have dropped my last name to get the reservation," he confessed sheepishly before he tried to backpedal. "I normally wouldn't have— but I wanted to take you somewhere nice— and the last thing I wanted was to postpone the date." He continued to ramble until he felt her gently grab his arm.

"I'm glad we could do this tonight."

The waiter wasted no time in showing the pair to the table. No doubt the Agreste name carried a lot of weight. Marinette found herself marveling at the interior. The red pops of color among the neutral walls.

"What can I bring the lovely couple to drink?" She found two pairs of eyes fixated on her awaiting the answer. "I wouldn't mind some Moscato?"

Adrien rattled off a wine selection before slipping the man a tip. Moments later he returned with two glasses and poured. Marinette raised her glass in a small toast. "To a successful photo shoot."

"And to this date," he added before taking a sip. Adrien itched with curiosity about the interaction between his father and Marinette. Since she brought up the shoot, maybe he could get an answer. "I saw you were talking to my father at the shoot," he paused to try and read her. "I didn't know you knew him." He hoped that he could introduce them and his father would approve of her. If they had already met, it would kick-start his plan.

"That was the first time we met." Marinette took a much needed sip of wine. In the middle of a date was not the time to explain her first interaction with Gabriel.

"Oh," he sat back in his chair, eyebrows furrowed together. "What were you talking about?"

"You." It wasn't a lie. They talked about Adrien's happiness and their difference of opinion of what that meant. She watched his face light up. Marinette started to wonder how much the one word meant to him. It was best not to dwell on the subject; he was bound to ask more questions that she didn't have answers to. "The menu is so big, what do you recommend?" When Adrien started rattling off suggestions, Marinette knew the previous subject had been forgotten. If Gabriel had his pull in the rest of his life, she refused to let him have this date.

"That was delicious." Marinette was convinced that she couldn't take another bite. Between the delicious food and the even more divine dessert, she was more than satisfied. The restaurant deserved all the praise it was receiving and more if she had her way. She watched Adrien place his card in the bill and hand it to the waiter. "Tonight was nice," she flashed him a smile. But once again time had robbed them, and she felt as if the night ended much too soon.

"It's not over yet," he flashed his charming smile.

Her gaze jerked up to be greeted by playful green pools. "Adrien Agreste," she tilted her head to the side, "what else do you have planned?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stood up and offered out his hand. "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

"Is this what I think it is?" Marinette hugged Adrien's arm tighter as they walked in the building. "I can't believe that you brought me painting." Her laugh filled the air. "I haven't painted in at least a year."

"It has an instructor, but I figured that you would still enjoy the class. It could spark something," Adrien replied trying not to focus on how his heart rate had increased drastically since she hooked her arm through his.

"You're amazing, did you know that?" She lifted her head just enough to flash him a gentle smile and returned to the rightful spot. The contact didn't last long as they had to separate due to the class would begin at any moment.

"For you, M'lady," Adrien pulled out her stool, determined to make her comfortable.

"Thank you, kind sir." She teased over her shoulder only to spill into laughter at the sight of Adrien with a paintbrush between his teeth wiggling his eyebrows. "You're such a goof."

At a dirty glance from the instructor, the paintbrush immediately fell from his mouth.

"Welcome, I need everyone to take a seat, and we're about to begin." The teacher started pacing back and forth until she felt that everyone was ready.

The first couple minutes that she was talking held no interest for Marinette, she already knew the basics of brush care and to use long strokes while painting the background. Her gaze wandered back to Adrien. It was clear that he had never painted if the way he held the brush was any indication. Her first instinct was to go over and help him, but if she did, she would probably earn a stern look from their instructor. "Like this," she motioned to the brush and her hand placement.

Adrien tilted his head in confusion at first but caught on quickly. He adjusted his hand and beamed before leaning towards her and whispered, "thank you." Taking her here was a gamble since she hadn't explained her painting hobby more, not to mention he couldn't paint to save his life. He tried to keep up with the teacher but found his gaze keep wandering over to her date. She looked happy. The way her lips slipped into a grin too wide to be hidden, it brought warmth to dwell inside him; only to be matched when she looked at him in such a way.

"Adrien"- a cold, wet sensation ripped him from his thoughts. It didn't take much context clues to understand what happened. Marinette was waving her brush in front of his face trying to gain his attention, and in a quick turn of his head, he earned a black streak.

Marinette's hands quickly covered her dropped jaw.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "I'll give you a free shot."

Adrien was convinced that he misheard. She wanted him to get paint on her? He waited a couple of seconds to see if Marinette gave any indications of joking, but her eyes urged him. He dipped the tip of his finger in some red paint and reveled in the gasp he elicited when his fingers made contact. "You said that you liked finger painting," he lowly mumbled. His fingers lingered in place longer than normal, and he couldn't help when his eyes jumped down to her lips. They only stayed there for more than a second, but it was long enough. When he pulled his gaze back to meet hers, he saw it; a hunger. She wanted it too.

Marinette's hand joined the one on her cheek. She opened her mouth to speak—

"Let me remind the class that this isn't kindergarten. Paint goes on the canvas, not on each other."

Adrien shrunk back sheepishly taking his hand with him much to his discontent. The two locked eyes again and a chuckle echoed between them before the turned back to their respective paintings.

"I thought she was going to kick us out when she caught us painting each other," Marinette laughed, and shoulder bumped her date. "That was all your fault you know."

"My fault?! If memory services correctly, you were the one who and I quote 'I'll give you a free shot.' It's not my fault that she only saw my retaliation and not the grievous misdoing that's on my cheek. I wouldn't be surprised if I were mocked in our time walking."

Marinette squeezed his arm tighter. "Then they will be mocking us both," she shot back pointing to the red paint lingering on her skin, "But I would more inclined to believe that if any teasing were to be done, it would be at the poor attempt of a tiger in your painting."

"It was a kitten!" Adrien protested as he held up his painting.

"Maybe if it was genetically mutated into a tiger, I'm surprised you didn't make it black like Chat Noir."

"If I'm going to hang this around my apartment, I wouldn't want the cat to gain an over-inflated ego."

"So, you make him jealous with your makeshift tiger instead?" Marinette teased, "you better be careful. Otherwise, he might start to like me better."

"He would never—take that back."

"Nope," she popped the 'p' playfully. "You're going to have to make me." Marinette separated herself to give some distance in case Adrien tried to fulfill his promise. The two ended up chasing each other laughter filling the streets. The game ended when they reached Marinette's apartment and she made a vital mistake that led to Adrien pinning her to the wall. The pair were gasping desperately trying to get their lungs the air that the body needed. It wasn't until then that they noticed the position they were in.

"Marinette, I"- Adrien stopped himself from continuing. He didn't want their date to be over, not now. The painting class ended way too soon for his liking, probably due to them goofing around.

"You could come in for a little while if you like."

The offer caused a shiver to shoot down his spine. Going inside Marinette's apartment could lead to a lot of things, but for his sanity, he chose to ignore them. "That sounds nice," he all but managed to stutter releasing Marinette from the cage of his arms.

Not much conversation was exchanged on the trip upstairs. But once Marinette entered her apartment, her hostess mode kicked in.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Water, please."

She wasted no time running to the kitchen and returning with two cups of ice water.

"Are these"-

Marinette cursed mentally when she realized that she didn't clean the apartment as well as she thought she did. Not when she left sketches out on the table. "They're first drafts; I was just messing around to see how different fabrics would change the mood of the same outfit."

"These are incredible for first sketches. Are there more?" Adrien suddenly shrugged back remembering their conversation in the park. "Only if you want to," he added for extra measure.

"I'll be right back." She stepped into her room and returned in a couple of minutes a thick book nestled in her arms. She handed to him then found herself unable to even as much glance in his direction. She didn't let anyone see her sketches, because it's not like she had any formal training. The bakery had to come first.

"Marinette, these are"-

She closed her eyes expecting the worst. If Adrien said they were horrible, then even though it would crush her, it would solidify her decisions.

"These are breathtaking," he breathed out as his fingers brushed the pages. "If my father could see this," his words faded out as his eyes focused in on another piece.

Marinette knew the only thing Gabriel Agreste wanted from her was to leave his son alone. Even if Adrien did bring them to his father, the second he learned they were hers; he would dismiss them.

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea." She cast her focus down to the book; right now it served as a reminder of all her dreams that fell flat.

Adrien hooked his finger lifting her chin until their gaze locked. His hands shifted to cup her cheek thumb following her paint from earlier. "How have you not realized how amazing you are?" Maybe it was the way she looked at him, but he started to lean in to close the gap. He stopped inches short and watched her eyes flutter close in anticipation. "I'd never let you forget."

The first time their lips touched both parties were hesitant. Marinette pulled back first, and her eyes locked with the emeralds she had come to care for. As much as the tension filled the room, Adrien hadn't left his spot. It took Marinette a couple of seconds why he was waiting for her cue. A smile slipped onto her face as she reached out her hand to cup his face just below his paint mark. With her hand guiding his face, their lips met again with more urgency. Marinette's free hand snaked around to the base of his neck, her fingertips playing with the straggling hair.

Adrien's hand started on her arm but continued down until on her hip while the other helped him lean into the kiss.

Marinette froze when his tongue ran over the bottom of her lip, and Adrien began to panic. Had he been too forward? It would take one mistake to ruin the undeniable energy that circled them.

"I'm sorry," tumbled out of his mouth desperately wanting to rectify the whatever he was doing wrong. "I just got carried away and"- He didn't get to finish apologizing, Marinette's laughter cut him off.

"Don't be sorry," she replied before pressing their lips together once more. She quickly adjusted to make things easier and ended up straddling Adrien's lap in the process. Emboldened from Adrien's attempt earlier, Marinette nibbled on Adrien's lower lip and took advantage when he invited her in to explore his mouth.

A ragged moan gurgled up through his throat fueling the haze of desire. His hands started to grip into her side tighter. Adrien almost lost it when Marinette rolled her hips.

She peppered his jawline with kisses before making her way down his neck. The satisfaction of the little yelp he made when she took his skin between brought a smile. She had imagined this so many times, but it faded in comparison to the real thing.

"Marinette"- His voice cracked as she began on another love bite. Adrien's hands ran up and down the outside of her thighs hoping between his pleading that she would pause, even for a moment.

She did pull back, and their eyes met, their panting merely whispers between them. Even without words, she could tell what he was asking. The desire bubbled up within her stomach and inched down between her thighs. She wanted this and wanted it with him.

"Yes," she whispered as she cupped his face. She suppressed a yelp when he wrapped his arms around her and stood up. The pair headed towards the bedroom where Marinette planned to do anything but sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N.- Cheesecake Date! oh and other stuff. Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun streamed through the window and began its dance on Adrien's eyelids causing him to awaken. He groaned and started to stir feeling a glimpse of warmth nearby. Craving more, his hand stretched out to find silky smooth, warm skin. He gently tugged it toward him in his half-asleep state. A light moan of approval lingered around the rim of his ear until his eyes fluttered open — a soft smile appeared when the reality of Marinette now cuddled the side of him sunk in. He could feel their legs tangle from the new placement, but it pushed his smile wider. Memories from the previous night echoed in his mind drawing a blush to his cheeks. He wouldn't trade the night with her for anything. He leaned down and placed a light kiss to the top of her head. The action caused his heart to do flips in his chest as he came to the realization: he loved her. It was too soon to know if he was in love with her, but it was a first step considering his past love life.

"I love you," he murmured. The phrase felt even better said out loud. Maybe when he gathered enough courage, he could repeat it to Marinette when she was awake.

"Is it time to get up?" Marinette mumbled molding to his request of leaning her head to rest on his chest.

"We could stay here all day," Adrien whispered placing a kiss on top of her head as he latched his arm around her torso securely.

Marinette contently hummed as she snuggled closer seeking the heat radiating off his body. "As nice as it sounds, you're highly sought after—featured in a calendar I heard; don't you have better things than to lie around all day?" Her words may have been in jest, but they held truth. She didn't know his work schedule or if his father required him; Adrien's life seemed to be always moving, and she was along for the ride.

"You forgot the 'with you' part, that's extra important," he gently squeezed her. "That's more important than anything I'm forced to go do today."

"Adrien," she replied with a warning tone.

He sighed. "My father is forcing me to go to an apology lunch with Chloe today. Said that I'm not going to throw away a strong friendship between two families for my rash and rude behavior. I could cancel it if you wanted me to play hooky." Adrien wiggled his eyebrows desperately hoping that she would take him up on his offer. With Chloe's behavior the last time she encountered Marinette, he hardly wanted to go to lunch to admit his reaction was wrong. It was entirely justified to throw her out for how she treated her.

"No, you should go, I wouldn't want to invoke your father's wrath." She sighed placing a gentle kiss at the base of his throat. "Besides I have to cover Tikki's shift at the bakery while she's out on her date today." The thought made her giddy, Tikki was one of her best friends and deserved to be looked at the way Plagg looked at her.

"He's been a mess for the last couple of days because of it."

"Tikki has too; she's been head over heels for him since he came into the bakery." Marinette amused herself fiddling with one of Adrien's free hand until he laced their fingers.

"Sounds familiar," the warmth dwelling in his chest radiated into a smile, "I was a goner the moment you sat down."

"Oh, I'm sure, I was raving about how my phone died through a pile of word vomit, so attractive." Marinette groaned as she buried her face into his chest.

"It was cute," he argued.

"It would be fun to go on a double date with them, after the baking competition." Marinette was convincing that it wouldn't matter what was planned for that night the company would make it all the more enjoyable.

"I'd like that," he purred into another kiss on her temple.

Marinette let her lip curl between her teeth. She had asked him about the baking competition last night, but it wouldn't hurt to double check. After all, she knew she would have agreed to almost anything from the afterglow of their activities.

"Were you planning on coming next Saturday to the competition?" Adrien's body stiffened beneath her, and her heart sank inside her chest.

"Next Saturday?"

She could tell by his tone that something was wrong, Adrien couldn't lie without her picking up his tell. "Is there a problem?" She asked desperately hoping the honest answer was no. He knew how important this was to her, and she wouldn't be at ease unless he at least made an appearance. His silence did anything but reassure her.

"Nothing I can't handle, I will be there no matter what. I wouldn't miss the judges handing you first place. It's the perfect opportunity to show the world how amazingly talented my girlfriend is."

Relief flooded her system calming any lingering insecurities until her mind caught up with the rest of the sentence. "Girlfriend?"

"If you'll have me," his boyish grin split from ear to ear. "Unless last night was your take on a one-night stand," he teased, "in which case, I'll be spending my day helping you change your mind."

"I don't know," she shot back playfully, "I'll have to check with my boyfriend about that." Adrien leaned in for a kiss, but before their lips could touch a loud knock echoed through the apartment.

At first, she thought that she just imagined it, but then it came again; this time paired with her name called out. And not by just anyone, her mother was at the front door.

Marinette cursed under her breath as she leaped out of bed and started slip on clothes. "Get dressed," she hissed as quietly as she could and still have her message received.

Adrien jumped out the bed and began searching for his clothes, but at a much slower pace.

Marinette groaned and sped out to open the door. If she kept her mother waiting, it would only make her suspicious of the half-dressed man in her room. How was this happening?

"Maman! What are you doing here?" For trying to keep it together, her pitch echoed surprise and confusion.

"Is it a crime for a mother to check in on her daughter?"

"No, of course not!" _Any time except now,_ she mentally added. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, dear, I'm fine."

It wasn't until she let her mom in, that she noticed the condition of the apartment. "I'm sorry the place is such a mess, I've just been busy."

"With the bakery I assume," Sabine's voice drifted off.

"Uh yeah, the bakery and the competition next weekend. I've been scatterbrained lately."

"That's funny because I went to visit you yesterday and Tikki let it slip you were on a date."

Marinette froze. She was caught, by her mother. Could one die from embarrassment? Suddenly a loud thump echoed out from the bedroom. "That's just my new cat," the excuse tumbled out even though her mother could piece together that it wasn't the case.

"Oh really," a smug smile found her way to her mother's lips. "Why don't you tell your new cat that he left his shirt out here?"

That's it. _Mortified_. The memory of round 2 on the couch when Marinette wore Adrien's shirt, only for it to be stripped off of her. It now hung from her mother's fingers.

"Marinette go take the poor boy out of his misery and bring him out here to meet me properly."

Cheeks blasted with color, Marinette made her way back to the room shirt in hand. Adrien had managed to put on everything but the missing shirt.

"I'm so sorry, I was just looking for my shirt, and I couldn't find it."

"That's because it was out in the living room due to our couch time," she explained.

Adrien leaned in for a quick kiss and hummed in appreciation. "I remember that fondly, we should do it again sometime. It was delicious."

The way his eyes twinkled she knew he meant more than the chocolate. But she couldn't let him tease her when her mom was sitting in the other room waiting to meet him.

"Down tiger," her lips instantly spread into a smile at the nickname, "mom in the next room remember," she bopped his nose. "That will have to wait. Put on your shirt, and I'll start on some breakfast."

"So, Adrien, what do you do?" Sabine offered the warmest smile she could to the man on the other side of the couch. The fact that her daughter was sleeping with him and hadn't introduced him properly made her wary but given the way Marinette was radiant with happiness meant something.

"I'm a paramedic."

"Well, that's admirable, what lead to pursue that career?"

"I just love helping people."Sabine flashed a look over to her daughter currently cooking breakfast. "And how do you exactly feel for my daughter?"

"Maman!" Marinette cried in embarrassment in the kitchen.

"I care very much for your daughter. She is possibly one of the kindest, determined, and talented girls I've ever met. I'm lucky to call her my girlfriend."

"You're very serious about her, aren't you?"

"She's important to me," he replied earnestly. Marinette handed him breakfast, and Adrien took full opportunity of grabbing her hand and planting a kiss on the back of it. "Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I'm just curious, I've been to the bakery dozens of times, and I've never seen you there. You would be proud of your daughter if you saw her in action."

"I couldn't be prouder. Marinette almost runs the shop just like"-

It didn't take much for Adrien to realize he struck a sore spot. He hadn't meant to; he just wished he could have met her sooner. "I'm sorry, I can't go in there much, it reminds me of my late husband."

The words were like a kick to the stomach for Adrien. He had only been Marinette's boyfriend for all of 30 minutes, and his first act was to upset the woman he wanted approval from. Unintentional or not, he still felt like scum.

"It's ok, Adrien," she leaned forward and placed her hand on his forearm in reassurance. "It happened a couple of years ago, it's just around this time of the year with the anniversary—it gets harder. We had little warning. He went to work to open the store. I was supposed to go in not even an hour later to decorate a cake. When I found him," tears started to well up in her eyes. "I called the paramedics, but there was not much they could do for him. They said that he had a heart attack."

The story only made Adrien wished that he had completed paramedic training earlier, to see how one death could rip away the happiness from the family; it wasn't fair.

"I'm so sorry," he said, although the words didn't feel enough. Even though his stomach would start to growl soon from his decision, he couldn't bring himself to begin to eat.

"Coming to the bakery became too hard with how much of his heart and soul went into the place. That's when Marinette offered to take over the responsibility; she even dropped out of her fashion school to help her poor mother out."

"And I would do it again in a heartbeat," Marinette added warily eyeing Adrien.

"Now yearly, we close the bakery for May to honor him," Sabine continued.

The conversation was interrupted when Adrien's phone began to ring. The call Id with Chloe's number brought a wave of nausea. She was probably calling to set up the details of their "date."

"I should probably go," he bitterly admitted. "I'll go get my stuff and get out of your hair." He kissed his new girlfriend quickly and raced back to the bedroom. After he was positive he had gathered everything; he had put Chloe to voicemail a second time. He knew if he did it a third, he would get a talk about responsibility. He reached the hallway.

Adrien glanced over at Marinette having a conversation with her mom in the kitchen. Even though he couldn't hear what was being said, with color sprawled over her cheeks he figured it would be a safe bet that it was about him. Despite the initial awkwardness, Adrien enjoyed meeting her mother and learning more about Tom. He only wished that he had got to meet him. It made sense that Marinette took over the bakery even if her dreams were elsewhere. He hated that her talent went to waste, especially if his father could do something about it. He eyed her sketchbook on the coffee table, and an itch inside him started to form from all the "what if's" of what he was about to do. Marinette was the type to put her dreams on hold if it meant she would help someone else. It wasn't fair by any stretch of means, and he intended to do something about it. Now that his father had met Marinette, it would be the perfect chance to show how talented she was. Knowing him, he would want to hire her so he could have the talent on his team. Marinette may be mad at the beginning, but eventually, she would come around. He made sure they were engrossed in conversation before swiping the book. This was wrong on so many levels, but the ends justified the means. He was doing this for her because she refused to do it for herself, that had to count for something. He slipped out of the apartment with not another thought.

* * *

"Tell me!" Tikki begged as she took another bite of her cotton candy. Plagg had taken her to a carnival that had stopped into town. They had spent hours of laughing and conversing (and Tikki kicking his butt on the bumper cars much to Plagg's dismay.) He still hadn't brought up the explanation for her nickname; needless to say; her curiosity had been building since he picked her up.

"All in good time, Cookie." His lips ticked up at the usage of the nickname. She was so cute when slightly frustrated. "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"No," she sighed.

Plagg wrapped an arm around her waist drawing her close. "Then you're going to have to trust me." He whispered in her ear. A sense of pride washed over him as he watched her cheeks reddened, and everything else seemed to fade. Plagg slipped his hand into hers in order not to lose her in the crowd.

"You there! I bet your lady friend would love you to win her something. Show her what kind of man you are."

Plagg took a couple of steps forward only to be stopped by Tikki squeezing his hand.

"Plagg it's really not necessary," she insisted. "They rig these games and make them impossible to win. You don't have to waste your money to prove anything. You already got my meal and the cotton candy. That's enough."

"That's where you're wrong," his eyes playfully glistened as he released her hand and slapped money down on the counter.

"I can see that you are a wise man, I'll tell you what I'll do because I'm feeling generous. When you win, I'll let you pick from any of the animals above plus one of the smaller items from the back wall. Double or nothing."

"You're on," Plagg shot back before Tikki could object again.

"Darts is the game; you have five chances to score 1000 points and win your lady a prize." The balloons were scattered mostly towards the bottom of the board in the lower point section. The higher the balloon, the scarcer they were.

The first dart thrown made a direct hit on an easier balloon earning him 150 points. The second earned him 200. The third missed. The corners of the works lips twisted upwards. Statistically, it was harder for him to win which mean he turned a profit. Two left and 650 points to go.

The fourth dart flew out of his hands too soon, but still managed to hit a 150-point balloon. He still had a chance if he could pop a small 500-point balloon in the far corner.

"You can do it, Plagg," Tikki offered with a smile.

He aimed, pulled his arm back, closed his eyes, and fired. The sound of Tikki squealing in delight was all he needed.

The disgruntled worker muttered something under his breath and handed over a small stuffed animal ladybug and a medium sized dragon.

Tikki planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she started, "You didn't have to, but you were amazing." She eyed the larger of the two prizes, "I've always loved dragons. b

"I could be your knight," Plagg raised the back of her hand to his mouth and planted a soft kiss with his eyes never wavering from hers. The two broke into shy smiles.

"Then lead the way, my knight."

They continued through the crowd hand and hand until they stopped in front of the Ferris wheel.

"Do you want to? I'm sure the view will be spectacular."

Tikki quickly agreed, and they got in line. Their wait passed by within a blink of an eye, maybe it had to do something to do with the company. Plagg handed the tickets, and with a few safety-checks, they began their ascent to the sky.

"This is so beautiful; you can see for miles," Tikki's eyes lit up as she took in the scenery.

"Yeah, it is," he replied not removing his gaze from his date until she caught him staring. His eyes dropped to his lap as he gathered his courage. "I call you Cookie because, despite the many deserts out there, it's always somebody's favorite; in this case, you're mine. Just like a cookie can make someone's day, you can cheer me up just by a single smile."

"Plagg, I"-

He raised his hand to stop her. There was no way he could finish if she interrupted him. "There was no way he could finish if she interrupted him. "There are many varieties of cookies, just like you are talented at many different things. I know you help balance Marinette's books, you bake at the store, not to mention all the things you do in your spare time. You can do anything that you want to." He could barely see tears escaping the corners of her eyes; he could only hope in happy crying. His fingers brushed the wetness away. "But most importantly, I call you Cookie, to remind myself never to let you crumble." More tears slipped out, and Plagg started to fear he'd gone too far, not that he could take it back. He was always a little soft when it came to the romance department, not that he would admit it if asked. "Tikki, if I said something over the line, I'm sorry"-

"Shut up," she interrupted before grabbing either side of his face and crashing her lips on his.

Plagg melted to her touch and eagerly responded. The view was forgotten as the two got caught up in each other. The only thing that separated them was the cough of the annoyed carnival worker waiting for them to realize the ride had ended.

The pair slipped hand in hand past the crowd who had hollered at them. Plagg started to pull her towards another ride, but Tikki had other ideas. She pulled back until he was in front of her once more, he looked at her eyes wide waiting for commentary of what just happened. Instead, she pulled him in for another kiss.

* * *

Even though Marinette wasn't used to working at this time in her usual schedule, she couldn't bring herself to care less. Tikki was on a date with Plagg, and she couldn't be happier for the pair. Tikki was one of her best friends, and she deserved someone who looked at the way he looked at her. If their date were anything like the one she had with Adrien- even without the conclusion of the evening, then Tikki would be extra chipper tomorrow morning. Marinette's lip rolled between her teeth fighting the blush threatening her cheeks remembering the previous night. Who knew that crashing the wrong blind date would lead to THAT. They were in a great place where they could be open with how they felt and being with Adrien felt right. It was still too early to tell anything, but her chest swelled with hope. The bell above the door signaling another customer, which Marinette was grateful for it was the slow time of the day and her store hadn't seen a new customer for the better part of 30 minutes. Part of her hoped that it was Adrien there to surprise her, but all excitement died in her chest when it was Chloe standing at the counter. She brushed down her apron then bit the bullet. "May I get you something?" She asked using her sugary tone reserved for difficult customers.

"You need to stay away from Adrien," Her darted tone would have been more intimidating if not for the date the previous day.

"I'm sorry, that's not on the menu." Marinette folded her hands across the counter and shoved on a cheeky smile. "So, if that's all you were looking for, I'm afraid you're out of luck." There was the satisfaction that simmered watching the anger manifest on Chloe's features.

"Now listen here, Marianne" –

She pointed her index finger in such a way that Marinette would image would have pushed her back if there wasn't a counter between them.

"The last thing my Adrikins is a baker girl sniffing around where she doesn't belong. You have no idea what being with someone like him would entail. What it would mean if you eventually married him and picked up his last name."

Marinette knew that Chloe was correct, she didn't know how she would fit into that small view of his world, but there was more to Adrien than that. And she would be dead if she allowed Chloe to bully her out of the best thing that had happened to her.

"First off," she pushed herself from resting on the counter. "Adrien is the furthest thing from _your_ Adrikins." She mimicked the voice used for the silly pet name; it made her sick. "And that stuff doesn't matter, because if it did, then he would spend all day as a lapdog for whatever his father wishes. Surely you can see that he isn't happy like that if not, you might want to reassess your best friend status. Adrien is with me because he wants to be and nothing you can say will change either of our minds."

"You think your all high and mighty because you two are buddy-buddy right now, but has he told you about Sophie?" Silence filled the bakery puffing up Chloe's ego with every second.

Marinette wanted to answer yes just to take her down a couple of pegs, but she had never heard Adrien mention that name before, let alone talk about whoever she was.

Chloe's smug smile made a return, and this time it was her time to cross her arms over her chest. "He didn't, did he— how telling. You won't last long, soon Adrien will realize the mistake that you are." She flipped down her frames. "If I were you, I'd get out while you can, no use prolonging the inevitable." Satisfied with how the favor shifted, Chloe turned on her heels and marched back to the street.

Marinette slumped against the counter as soon as the door closed; she refused to let Chloe have the satisfaction that she had gotten to her. Because, as much chemistry as they had between them, Chloe still had her beat when it came to knowing facts about Adrien; and that ate her alive.

She could have been making the whole thing up, trying to get under her skin or convince her not to pursue him, that's what Marinette kept telling herself repeatedly; not that it did any good. Chloe had successfully broken through her defenses and gotten inside her head. Her mind kept echoed the question over and over again: _Who is Sophie?_


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N.- I'm sorry that this chapter landed on Valentine's day. Truly, I am. The Angst train came into the station.**

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea, I'm sure if you talk to him face to face, you'll get answers."

Tikki's voice barely cut through to Marinette as she paced back and forth inside the kitchen of her bakery. Three days since her encounter with Chloe. The name Sophie had stewed inside her mind for hours on end. Adrien was supposed to visit later that night. The message was all typed up staring back at her from the phone screen.

 **Whose Sophie?**

Although the question is too direct to send as is, they needed to talk about it."I need to talk to him about it. This has robbed my sleep, and I need to be focused for tomorrow." Her finger poised over the send button, but she couldn't bring herself to hit the button. She could wait a couple of hours and talk to him them. Right on time, her phone buzzed with a text from her boyfriend.

 **Adrien: Can't make it tonight, I have to run errands for my father.**

Marinette's heart sank further inside her chest as she read and reread the text over and over again. That meant the soonest she could ask in person would be right before the competition. The Sophie question deleted a more pressing matter came to mind.

 **Marinette: Can you still make it tomorrow?**

Marinette found that she was holding her breath waiting for a reply. If he couldn't, she would like to know now instead of an hour before. Her phone vibrated, and she couldn't open the message fast enough.

 **Adrien: Wouldn't miss it for the world.**

At least she had the satisfaction of knowing he would still be there tomorrow, not that it provided much comfort where Sophie was involved. An idea sprung, and she typed up a message before she could convince herself that it was not her most brilliant idea.

 **Marinette: It's funny I was in the market earlier, and I ran into this girl, we got to talking, and she said she knows you**.

She couldn't very well spill that Chloe brought up the name to prove that they wouldn't work out. If he thought this happened more organically, he might be more prone to give her information.

 **Adrien: Oh really? What's her name?**

The moment of truth. Marinette took a breath and took the plunge.

 **Marinette: Her name was Sophie, how do you know her?**

She'd take looking like a jealous girlfriend for a while if it meant getting the answer she wanted.

 **Adrien: She's someone I knew a couple of years ago. I'll tell you the whole story later. My father is expecting me.**

She should have expected that right when she was about to get answers the conversation died. Now Marinette had no choice; her questions would have to wait.

* * *

Adrien sighed as he glanced at the phone; she knew about Sophie. He didn't know how she found out, and it didn't matter at this point. It had to be a conversation that they needed to have in person, not over text message. The paper bags in his hand shifted as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He only managed to make it a couple of steps but stopped at the sight of Chloe draped on his couch.

"You really should find an apartment with a better doorman; yours just let me right in." Chloe extended her hand checking her nails. "Although, I figured you would be home sooner." She sat up and crossed her legs.

"What are you doing here?" he growled. He didn't spend the last couple hours doing a favor for his father for him to home and bossed around by Chloe. If she wanted something, she got it. Adrien had lost the desire to cater to her every whim. First thing in the morning he would talk with his doorman.

"Don't you miss hanging with me, or are you too busy with your little girl toy?"

"Don't talk about her like that!" He snapped anger bubbling up inside him. Of course, this was about Marinette. The second Adrien told her that Marinette was his girlfriend, he knew he was in for trouble. Chloe never excelled in sharing in pretty much anything- especially him.

"If you are trying to convince me that you two are anything serious, I'd hold your breath. It's not like you told Marinette anything about you," Chloe replied.

The wheels began to turn inside Adrien's head, none of the thoughts brought comfort. Marinette said she had bumped into Sophie in a marketplace, but what if she didn't. What if-

"It was you," he whispered. Chloe's unchanged features from the accusation told him all he needed to know. The anger raged up along with the desire to punch the wall. Chloe purposely tried to weasel her way between Marinette and him. "You had no right"—

Chloe checked her phone, un-swayed by his display of anger. "I was only speeding along the process, Adrien. The sooner you get over her, the better."

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Chlo." This had gone far enough. She would have to get used to the fact that Marinette was in his life. She wouldn't like his decision if she made him choose.

"Jealous?" she scoffed as she slammed her phone on the couch before standing. "Maybe I was briefly, but then I talked to her. If you two were serious, you would have told her about your ex-fiancé, and why you were really at the restaurant."

"How did you"- Adrien's question tapered off. He had learned long ago not to question how she learned something. Being the mayor's daughter probably aided her in more ways than one.

"I have my ways, Adrikins." Chloe reached out and tapped his nose despite him shrinking back. "Just like I know your father bought a building a couple of weeks ago?"

Adrien's brows furrowed. "So? My father buys buildings all the time." He hadn't bought one in Paris in a while, so it was overdue. Chloe acted as if it was convicting evidence. His father could buy buildings as he saw fit, it was part of running the Agreste fashion line.

"But not with Marinette's name in the memo line." Chloe's lips tucked into a smirk, "sound familiar?"

She had to be lying. There was no way that Marinette would do that to him. But if Gabriel found out about the meeting—he wouldn't put it past his father. But if Marinette had been part of the plan from the beginning, then why mention Sophie now? Things weren't adding up.

"I think it's time you leave."

"I just don't want to see her break your heart. If you don't believe me, go snoop around your father's office." "But deep down you know I'm right. Marinette may not love you, but I always will." She ran her fingers down the edges of his face until he forced her hand away. Chloe blew a kiss in his direction before sauntering out the door.

A grunt of frustration escaped him. His father had gone too far this time. Chloe might be jealous, but she wouldn't have made up evidence like that. Tomorrow he would snoop in his father's office, Adrien hoped he wouldn't dread what he found.

* * *

He would have time before the competition, at least that's what he told himself. Adrien didn't gain a wink of sleep from the previous night, Chloe's words rattled around his mind. Things didn't add up, and if it took breaking into his father's office, then that's what he would do. Then once he had more of an idea what happened, he would approach Marinette. He didn't want to go to her accusing her of something she was innocent of so he would have to wait. His phone buzzed with a message from _her_.

 **Marinette: I can't wait to see you today. I am loading the car with essentials. Wish me luck.**

He typed a fast reply, shoved the phone into his pocket and started in the direction of his father's house.

Thankfully Nathalie didn't take much convincing to let him inside the house.

"Your father isn't here; he has a meeting with some investors."

"I'll wait in his office," Adrien figured if he said it with enough confidence, he could stroll right in. Nathalie didn't stop him.

He didn't know how it was possible, but the office seemed warmer and friendlier with no one occupying it. It had been years since he had been in here, but not much had changed. The large picture of his deceased mother still hung on the wall watching his fathers every move. The bookshelves still contained hundreds of books that Adrien was sure his father hadn't cracked open despite the lack of dust.

Where could he even begin? If his deal with Marinette was an ongoing thing, he was bound to keep the information nearby. The first logical place was his desk. He crossed the room and glanced at the different drawers. The first one he picked, he didn't find much. A photograph of his mother and a receipt for the calendars...in a total amount of almost a thousand dollars. It didn't much for him to put the pieces together. The chief looked entirely too happy when his father left the station on the day of the photoshoot. He paid Nathaniel already, which only meant that his father rather than allowing the natural course of his charity even play out, he had to smother the project, so it would never so the light of day. It was the only way he got what he wanted. The crew still got their calendar as a thank you for their hard work. But it seems like outside of that, the community would never see it.

The second drawer provided even less comfort and unsettling feeling. There was a folder with Marinette's name labeled in the corner. The first paper he pulled out was the document that Chloe mentioned. There, in a memo section Marinette's name written in ink.

Adrien closed the folder not bother to look through the rest of the paperwork; seeing that Chloe had been right shattered him enough. He didn't need to keep breaking his heart by reading the details for how Marinette used him. She used him and toyed with his emotions. The phone buzzed.

 **Marinette: Where are you?**

He shoved the phone back in his pocket. Right now, he didn't trust what he would text back. The competition was still an hour away; he would have time to talk to his father and get some answers and make it on time to see Marinette win. He tucked the folder under his arm. If Nathalie caught him stealing the folder, then word would get to his father before he could reach them.

"Nathalie, I'm going to go ahead and meet my dad at the office." Adrien didn't wait for a reply before running out of the door.

* * *

This was it — a combination of months of hard work. The air filled with electricity and excitement. Marinette couldn't help but look around at her competition. Some of them had been participating in this contest for years, but never managed to place. She couldn't allow herself to think like that, the peanut butter/ chocolate combination was terrific enough to win.

"Marinette, are you ok?"

Tikki's voice grabbed her attention; she hadn't realized that she had zoned out. A light dusting spread across her cheeks at being called out. "Sorry, I was overwhelmed for a second. I can't believe that we're here."

"Not only that, but we're going to win," Tikki added.

The confidence was appreciated, but Marinette only hoped that it was enough to win first place. "Why don't you start unloading the car and I'll go check in."

It only took twenty minutes after registration for everything to be unloaded.

"Well look who it is, my two favorite girls with everything needed for delicious pastries."

"Plagg? What are you doing here?"

"I just came by from the station to drop of the calendars hot off the press and come by to wish you two luck." He leaned in and stole a kiss from Tikki.

Tikki smiled as he pulled away and then immediately started to flip through the pages with excitement allowing her gaze to linger longer on December's page.

"Did you happen to see Adrien while you were there? He was supposed to be here already."

"He wasn't there, sorry." Plagg ran his hands through his hair.

She didn't know what was going on, why would he go missing right before the competition? "Bakers, please head to your station. The competition starts in twenty minutes."  
Marinette glances around the crowd still searching for her extremely late boyfriend. She dialed his number but met an instant voicemail. It wouldn't do any good to leave a message; he replied to her this morning. She looked to Plagg and Tikki and how blissfully unaware of how anxious she was becoming. Her fingers started to hover over the screen ignoring the urge to call again.

"Come on, Adrien," she whispered to herself, "where are you?"

* * *

By the time he reached the elevator, Adrien was sick of hearing, gasps, whispers, and his name. He couldn't remember the last time he had been to his dad's office, but it certainly didn't warrant this kind of attention. The second he made eyes with Gabriel's other secretary, he watched as her mouth start to quiver.

"M. Agreste, your father is in a meeting. He's not to be disturbed."

Adrien's eyes narrowed, no he wouldn't come this far only to turn away. His father always out the company over him, and this once, he wouldn't allow it.

"This is important." He walked past her desk with new determination despite her protests. His father needed to know he was serious. He pushed opened the doors gaining all eyes in the room.

"Adrien now is hardly the time"-

His father's face harden and caused his inside to seize before Adrien pushed through his fear.

"Did you bribe Marinette?" He kept his voice strong among the fear creeping up within him.

Gabriel whispered something to the gentleman, stood up and made his way out of the conference room grabbing Adrien's arm forcefully as he went.

"Michelle, conference room 2." He shouted. The words sprung her into action, Adrien almost felt sorry for her. Gabriel pulled Adrien until he was in front of him.

"I'll be lucky if you didn't blow my biggest client this year," he growled, "this better be important."

"Why did you buy a building that has Marinette's name attached to it?"

"You were snooping in my office?" His father shot back with one brow raised. "It seems I need to keep it locked when I'm away."

"That's not the point!"

"You're right! The point is maybe before you come in here yelling and pointing accusations, you would bother to dig further to save yourself the embarrassment."

His father's words drained his confidence as he took a step back. "What do you mean?"

"I sent Nathalie to try and convince Mlle Dupain-Chang to stay away. She reeked of a bad influence for you, distracting you from important meetings here and of responsibilities, but she declined. Instead, she seemed to be around you every time I turned my head."

She didn't take the money. Adrien's face paled and stomach twisted. How could he believe Chloe for even an instant? He actually thought that kind, and sweet Marinette had manipulated and used him. His father still had things to answer for, but now wasn't the time to make him answer for it.

He should have seen the clues, the one subject she was always fidgety with was his father. Now he knew why.

Marinette!

 _The competition._

He pulled out his phone, it had already begun, but if he hurried, he could make it there before it ended.

He muttered an apology to his father for interrupting his meeting and almost tripped over himself as he pushed into a full run.

* * *

Marinette could feel her stomach knots tightened. The poor map of the event didn't stand a chance in her nervous hands. She felt a hand clamp over hers, and she looked towards its owner and Tikki flashed her a smile.

"It will be ok, no matter what happens."

"I need to win to get the store on 7th; it's the perfect location and"-

"Marinette." Tikki commanded her attention, "it will be okay. We will figure it out."

Marinette had never been more thankful for Tikki than in that moment. Her eyes turned to the crowd and her heart sunk. There was Nathaniel, Plagg, her mom, but no Adrien. Plagg offered a shrug as if to answer her silent question; where was Adrien?

"Alright, the judges have made their decisions," the host announced in the microphone. "First off, I like to say you should all applaud yourself; it was super close this year. But in 3RD place, we have Casey from Casey's cupcakes." A round of applause burst out as a petite blonde girl out on stage to collect a ribbon. As thankful she was that she didn't get third place, on the other side of that only two spots remained.

"In 2nd place, if Mlle. Dupain-Chang from Ladybug boulangerie and pâtisserie!" Everything else suddenly stripped away. She didn't win. All her hard work and months to prepare and she didn't win. The announcer began speaking again, but everything muffled. Tikki must have accepted the prize on her behalf. Marinette was thankful because she couldn't move her legs if she wanted to. The world around her started to spin, and she only could excuse herself. The outside air didn't help at all. Instead, her lungs were on fire and tears began to flow.

She was a failure.

Her hands swiftly went to wipe away her tears. There was no time for that. She had to be the strong one; it's who she always was. If Tikki or her mother saw her in this state, then they would fuss over her for the rest of the day.

And if Adrien saw her like this— _that didn't matter,_ her mind countered. _He's not here._

"Guess we're not as much of a winning combination as I thought," she muttered glumly to herself. As much as she wanted to go home and sink her disappointment away in a bubble bath, it wasn't fair to Tikki to pack up the car. Marinette smothered any feelings that threatened to arise and started her journey back to her friends.

* * *

He was several kinds of late, and he knew it, traffic was horrendous. Not to mention the event was huge. He spent 15 minutes trying to find his way before asking for directions from a stranger. They couldn't help, which left him at square one. He was pretty sure that his phone was now dead in his pocket, he had used all its energy to guide him here.

It took another ten before he was in the right spot, just in time to see Marinette pull off in her car.

He had screwed up.

The worst part he had only himself to blame. He could have chosen to ignore Chloe and her theories, but instead, he chased them down the rabbit hole head first.

"Where were you?" Plagg's voice whipped him around.

"How was it? Did she win?" The energy it took to get there had officially winded him.

Plagg stood a frown plastered on his face. "Where were you?" He repeated with more force.

Adrien's face fell in disappointment and embarrassment. "It's a long story." He hoped it would be enough to persuade him to drop the subject.

"I'm listening."

* * *

Marinette hadn't said much of anything to anyone before she finished packing up her station and drove away. 2nd place and only enough money to pay for a repairman to fix their oven if the situation arose. What hurt worst was that she knew what she put before the judges weren't her best work. Her mind went to several other places during the baking process, but it all led back to: why didn't Adrien show? He beamed about how proud he would be when she won not even a week ago. Showing up late would be one thing, there was traffic, or he couldn't find the event tent, but not to show up at all? Not to mention not returning any of her texts.

There were plenty of people that came to support her, her mom, Tikki, Alya, and Nino. Even Nathaniel found out and at least stopped by to wish her luck.

Her feet dragged up the stairs, each step they turned more to lead to mimic her insides.

Marinette couldn't stop her mind from spiraling; there's no way she would be able to get the bakery spot now. By the time the money could be earned, someone would probably have rented it out. It would force her to start the process again from square one.

 _If you would have taken Gabriel's deal..._ Her mind trailed off into dangerous territory. What's worse, her emotions towards Adrien took over, and her mind entertained the thought. She would have her bakery up and running and successful. Crowds would be lining outside the door and-

No. She wouldn't give Gabriel the satisfaction that he ran her off. A distraction was what she needed; something not related to cooking or baking— her sketches. It was always her go to in these kinds of situations. It calmed her and kept her mind planted on the ground.

Marinette retreated to the bookshelf in her room and stopped when her eyes landed on the second shelf from the top. Her book wasn't there. It had to be; she didn't keep it anywhere else. Chest tightening and head spinning, Marinette frantically started to look everywhere it could be in her room.

Gone.

Her breathing started to shallow, room spinning. When was the last time she saw it? It was— when she showed _Adrien_.

" _These are breathtaking," she watched him brush his fingers across the page. "If my father could see this,"_

And Marinette's blood ran cold. No, he wouldn't do that to her. He knew how much the sketches meant to her. What other explanation was there for why the book wasn't anywhere in the house. Marinette slumped to the floor not holding back the tears any longer. For the second time that day, her heart split in two.


	11. Chapter 11

Adrien wasn't sure what was holding out for as he continued to pace outside Marinette's apartment. If he buzzed her, would she even let him in? From what Plagg told him of the day Mari took second place hard, and the fact that he wasn't there only made it worse. He tried to call and got sent to voicemail. Adrien couldn't stand by as the need to comfort her grew. He waved goodbye to Plagg and raced off towards his car.

Which lead him here, a couple of staircases and a door away from being able to comfort her. He gripped the flowers he had stopped for tighter as if they drift away if he let go.

The door opened as someone was leaving giving Adrien an opportunity to snag the door. He quickly explained that he was there to surprise his girlfriend. The woman took one look at the flowers, wished him luck, and went on her way.

The knowledge of making it inside the apartment complex didn't ease his nerves any. It was torture, the first time that Marinette was angry at him with the 'Adam' incident, he could only imagine what awaited him.

Despite the knots, his stomach had worked into he found himself knocking on her door.

"Who is it?"

He could barely hear her through the door, and his mouth opened eager to reply

"It's"-

The guy who screwed up by not showing up?

The one who didn't trust you and he's sorry?

"Me," he finished lamely.

The door swung open abruptly catching him off guard. His girlfriend stood in front of him. The sight of her bloodshot eyes, a redden nose from tissues—she had been crying. And it was all his fault.

He expected her to start shouting at the sight of him; to tear into him with her words because that's what he deserved. Instead, seconds passed with no words uttered; her eyes voiced everything.

"It was nice of you to finally show up."

There it was, the pointed statement that stabbed and gutted him in one blow. He couldn't blame Marinette, especially when she blocked the door denying him entrance inside.

"Mari, I'm sorry—I" His voice gave out not sure what to say. "Chloe made me think that"-

Her scoff and subtle head shake stopped him mid-sentence.

"As much as I dislike Chloe, you can't pin it on her. I didn't need her to be at my competition; **I** **needed** **you**. Can you offer any explanation why you weren't there?"

Adrien glanced over his shoulder to a neighbor who had taken notice of this argument.

"Could we maybe continue to talk inside?" He gently started to push the door open only to find that it stopped short.

Marinette hands slid down the door, and her eyes fell to the floor. "I don't think that's the best idea. I don't want anything else to go missing."

Adrien swallowed hard as the second knife plunged within him.

She knew what he took her sketchbook.

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"I just thought-"

"You thought you could go against my wishes and steal my sketchbook for a dream that I had given up on several years ago. I had the bakery and my mother to of, I couldn't let her down. You had no right to make that decision."

"You're right, and that's why I wanted to apologize. I didn't show it to anyone; can you forgive me?" He dug through his bag and pulled out the book.

Marinette snatched it and placed it on the table just inside the door. "Yes," she struggled to get the word out. "But-" Her eyes jumped to his as a tear rolled down her cheek. "But I don't think I can do this. I don't trust you right now."

"Mari"-

"I'm sorry," she choked out and closed the door.

"Mar."

Marinette closed her eyes and rested her head against the door, tears fully stream down her face. "I can't."

Adrien rested against the door elbow fronting most of his weight. The shock of what happened was wearing off leaving his new reality to crash over him. Marinette wanted to break up? All of this was a big misunderstanding. The flowers in his hands dropped to the floor. His gut ripped out and his heart cold.

"Please, can we talk about this?" He begged through the door; his answer returned void. "I don't know how, but I'll earn back your trust." It felt silly promising such a thing to a piece of wood, Marinette might not have even heard him for all he knew. If she needed space, he would give it to her, no matter how painful it would be.

* * *

"Plagg? Is there supposed to be smoke coming out oven?" Tikki called out earning a string of curses from his mouth attending the kitchen before the smoke alarm started. The firefighters and his coworkers visiting were not how he wanted the evening to end. Thankfully, he managed to salvage the dinner he had started and created laughter along the way.

"I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention," he smirked in her direction. "Guess I was distracted by something beautiful."

"You know what they say about flattery,"

"That it gets you everything," Plagg teased lacing his fingers with hers backing her into the counter.

"And who said that?" Tikki responded leaning in and captured his lips with her own.

"Doesn't matter." He smiled into another kiss. Much to his disappointment, Tikki gently pushed him away.

"Do you think Marinette will be ok? She seemed really upset this afternoon." Plagg places a tender kiss on her forehead as if the simple action would remove any doubt.

"Marinette is strong, and a little birdie told that Adrien went over there to apologize."

"You saw him?" Tikki's eyes were blown wide.

"He arrived just as Marinette pulled off. We sat down, and he explained everything. Then he said he needed to see her and raced off. You know typical boyfriend behavior for him."

"Boyfriend," Tikki trailed off squeezing his hand. "I like the sound of that."

"Really?" Plagg's expression brightened. Their joint hands hugged Plagg's waist as he closed most of the gap between them. "I'd like that a lot."

"Then it's settled," Tikki giggled allowing the butterflies in her stomach to flit and flutter around. "I have the best boyfriend in the world."Tikki leaned in and stole a kiss. "Thank you." She was so lucky that he wandered into the bakery when he did. He created this whole night to cheer her up

"For what, Cookie?"

Tikki's hand cupped the side of his face tenderly. Her fingers were playing with the strands of hair. "For never letting me crumble." Smiles emerged from the pair as she repeated part of his speech. They grabbed their food and made their way over to the couch. Tikki snuggled up to Plagg resting her head on his shoulder as he turned on Princess Bride. The moment was interrupted when Tikki's phone buzzed. She was going to ignore it, but a gut feeling prevented her. Her eyes reread over the message hoping that the words would somehow change.

"Plagg?"

"Yes, my love?"

"I think your little birdie got it wrong. Marinette just texted me. She and Adrien just broke up."

* * *

"Marinette!" Alya pounded on the door with her one free hand and cradling her care package in the other. "Come on open up; I got your text. We both know that you wouldn't have sent it if you didn't want me here." The quietness oozing from underneath the door worried her more than she would care to admit. Marinette was the one that assured her that things with Adrien would work out, but now that everything fell apart, she didn't know what else she could do besides be there for her. The last thing she needed was an 'I told you so,' even if she was right. "Let me in Marinette; I have tacos, movies, Andres's ice cream and I know a guy that can hide a body." She heard the faintest of shuffles and her body relaxed for the briefest moment; at least she knew Marinette was alive.

The door open and Marinette's petite figure filled the crack. "Did you really bring Andre's?"

Alya smiled softly and nodded while she held out a bag which Marinette graciously accepted. Ice cream may be a cliché thing related to break-ups, but it worked in the past. Andres was the first thing she ate with her break up with Nathaniel and Luka.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alya tilted her head as she watched her friend sink onto the couch with a spoon. Marinette's hair was disheveled, and bags hung under her eyes from the sleepless nights. Her clothes had wrinkles from the last several days folded into the creases.

"There's nothing to talk about," Marinette replied right before taking a bite of ice cream. "I couldn't trust him anymore, so I have to let him go. I showed him my sketchbook, Alya. He took it with every intention of showing his father, the man who absolutely hates me. You know how I feel about my sketches; I barely show them to you."

"But you did say that he found out about dropping out of school to help with the bakery. He could have thought"-

"It doesn't matter what he thought; he took it without asking." The ice cream placed to the side Marinette wrapped her arms around her legs as she tucked them in. "How can I trust him again?"

"Only time can tell," Alya gently replied.

"He said that he was sorry, that he didn't show anyone." Her voice gave out from her passionate rant. "That he loved me." Those words stung far worse than she could ever imagine. He loved her, but did she love him. Is that why this hurt so much? "Am I making a mistake, Alya?" Marinette's voice barely filled the room. Instead, she just lay there allowing Alya's fingers to rake through her dark hair enjoying the soothing feeling. She couldn't expect her to tell her what to do, because it had to be a decision that only she could make. Images of Adrien's hurt face flashed in her mind. It had only been a couple of days, but she missed him, his laugh, smile, or goofing off. The way he could say the precisely the right thing when she needed it, and now she found herself questioning every interaction that they had.

"I don't know," Alya confessed.

Somehow that answer didn't appease her. For once in her life, she needed to be told that it would be alright, that she would get past that. But Marinette had a feeling that even if Alya told her everything that she wanted to hear, it wouldn't be enough. Adrien probably hated her by now; she had ignored every one of his texts and calls until they dwindled to a complete stop. There was nothing to do now, except get over him.

* * *

Adrien didn't take his eyes off his phone on the table. It had been several days, and he was waiting for her to call, to say it was okay... but she didn't. The nightmare of his new reality started to sink in. He had lost her.

And as if in Adrien willed it, his phone started to buzz. His heart leaped inside his chest as he scrambled to answer; until he saw the screen.

Sophie.

What could she possibly want? It was bad enough that she stood him up at the altar, but she stood him up that morning that Marinette crashed his table. He still hadn't gotten an answer to why. Before he knew it, his finger answered the call.

"Hello?" His body started to drain of much-needed oxygen as he could do nothing until she answered. "Sophie?"

"Hi, Adrien."

The warmth that spread through him by the sound of her voice caused him to melt. It was the first time he had seen or heard from her since the wedding. If this is how he reacted by hearing her voice, he would think that if she had shown up, he would have forgiven her on the spot.

"Why now?" The words that circled his mind tumbled out with hostility as the anger started to boil inside him.

"Adrien, please—I tried to call so many times— I even went to the restaurant the morning we were supposed to meet. Stood across the street, but I couldn't go in. I couldn't face you after what I did."

Adrien found his mouth dried up at her explanation his heart in war within himself.

"I miss you," Sophie's voice cracked. "I was hoping that maybe we could try one more time."

He could hear the nervousness laced with her words, but he didn't know what to say.

"I know it won't be just like old times right away, but we will get there, with time. I want you to trust me again."

His first instinct was to say yes. It was even more tempting with the sorry state that Marinette had left him; the idea of his ex-fiancé wanted to do dote on him made his heart leap in his chest. Maybe it was his sign that he needed to go back. He used to attend the restaurant with her every Sunday morning. But when he closed his eyes all he could see was Marinette and her brilliant eyes and dazzling smile. Adrien could hear her laugh echo amongst his thoughts.

"Adrien?"

"It can't be like old times." The words scratched his throat with the delivery, but he knew they had to be said.

"What?"

Through the phone, he could hear her smile falter. Maybe if Marinette never interrupted his breakfast, then he would have a harder time resisting. Adrien knew that if he agreed to her offer, he would be giving up all hope that he could repair things with Marinette.

"I don't know why you abandoned me at the altar, and I don't care anyone. You can't just waltz right back in like nothing ever happened. I've moved on—I met someone else."

"It's the girl, the one you left with that day, isn't it." She paused waiting for an answer, but his silence was more than enough of one. "Does she make you happy?"

The question prompted another image of Marinette to run through his mind when she leaned in and kissed him on their date; it brought an instant smile to his lips. Sophie didn't have to know that they weren't together at that moment; it was irrelevant; he was going to win her back.

* * *

Adrien remained wrapped tightly in his burrito blanket. A week had shifted before his eyes, but it felt like a year. He was supposed to be ok, supposed to get over her within his withdrawal. He has called out for the second time this week. It may have reflected his state because they didn't ask any questions this time.  
Not that Adrien minded, he merely rolled over clutching the blanket tighter wishing the cold, smooth surface would act as an embrace he desperately craved. This was all his fault, Marinette hated him, and he couldn't place the blame on anyone but himself. No one forced him to take her sketchbook; he did that on his own accord. Chloe may have pointed him in the wrong direction, but like the idiot he was, he galivanted after the trail she left. Marinette wanted him there, and he didn't show.  
His mind had been ruthless with running through alternate scenarios, how he could do things differently. Not that it mattered, he couldn't go back in time, and she wouldn't even talk to him or answer a text.  
There had to a way to make up it up to her, but nothing that he came up with sounded good enough—except the one thing that she wanted. The one thing she had talked about countless times in their times together; the building for her second bakery.

Adrien leaped to his feet and raced down to his car as the thought kept turning. He may not have any control over it, but his father did. If he bought the building as he said he did then, it could be a bargaining chip.

Before he lost courage, he hopped into his car and didn't stop until he reached his father's manor. He stormed through the front door and into the office.

Gabriel glanced up wide-eyed and mouth dropped in shock, "Adrien?"

"You win." If younger Adrien could see him now, no doubt he would be cringing at what he was about to do. He tried to find another way, but he knew his father, and everything came with a price. This seemed like the only way he could make it up to her, even if they weren't together anymore. Marinette deserves happiness, and if he could help in any little way, it would be enough.

"I beg your pardon?" Showing up at his office was an irregular thing for his son, but to show up an declare him victorious? Over what?

"I will come and work under you in all my spare time, learn the ropes of the business." Adrien saw Gabriel's eyes narrow, the bait drawing temping. If it was one thing that Adrien knew, his father had a deeply seeded dream that he would take over one day. "On two conditions," he added.

"And they are?"

Adrien knew his father was a top negotiator, but even now he could feel his heart simulating a jackhammer inside his chest. "Number one, I stay working at the station. I love the job and the crew." He paused knowing full well most of his father's reservations would be with his second request. "And number two, you give Marinette the building on 7th from your original deal."

"And what spurred this decision on?"  
Gabriel asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"It doesn't matter; do you have a deal or not?"

"And how do I know that you won't pull this stunt to get the building and then never step foot in my office again?"

"I'll sign a contract if needed," He gritted his teeth. "Besides," the hostility in his tone dropped. "There's no need to be concerned over Marinette; we're over."

"I see," Gabriel shifted his weight, "then why"-

"I have my reasons," Adrien snapped defensively.

"You love her."

It wasn't a question, but Adrien would fight before he would let his father be aware of that fact. It was torture enough that he would have to work for him.  
"What does it matter, you're getting what you want!" he snapped.

Gabriel's eyes soften at his son's frustration. It was evident that whatever happened between his son and Mlle. Dupain-Chang had left at least one if not both parties wounded. Adrien, however, hadn't shared much regarding his life since his mother passed away. That event drove a wedge between them. Gabriel had never had absolute proof, but he suspected that Adrien blamed himself for Emilie's death. But here in this moment, his son was releasing a cry for help, so who was him to turn away. If giving Mlle. Dupain Chang the bakery would ease some of what was eating at him, he would.  
"You start on Monday."

Adrien nodded and exited the office without another word.

Gabriel released a sigh and pulled out the top drawer with the picture of Emilie; his fingers tentatively danced across the glass. "You were always better with affairs of the heart," he murmured. "He needs you—I still need you." And for the first time since the funeral, Gabriel openly wept for the state of his family.


	12. Chapter 12

Marinette took one last look around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Not that she wouldn't be able to come back even if she did, but the idea of a closed bakery was sinking in. She told herself she would at least spend a week spending time with her mom, but then the rest of the time was up in the air.

"Tikki? You ready to go?" Marinette called out towards her their office.

Tikki pushed her head out for a moment. "I'll be right there," she assured.

Marinette flipped the sign to closed. The days had blurred together with the breakup. The only reason she got out of bed daily was to prep the bakery to be closed for the month. Now that they hit May everything felt more real. Not much remained regarding distractions and her new reality sunk in. Not even two weeks ago she had ended things with Adrien. All that remained were memories that lingered and played in her mind at the most inconvenient times. She wiped a rebel tear that streaked down her face. No more. She had shed enough tears for Adrien.

"Marinette, are you okay?"

Caught in the act of wiping the tear she brushed it away fast as her brain tried to formulate a response.

"Yeah," she fumbled. "I'm just going to miss this place." It was a lie that Marinette never expected Tikki to believe, but thankfully, Tikki didn't press.

It wasn't until Marinette had finished parking that she recognized the familiar black limo. It wasn't as if her friends were dripping in money enough to rent a limo for fun.

"If you here to offer another bribe, Nathalie, you can forget it." She spat not having the energy or patience to deal with any Agreste drama today. When the door opened, and M. Agreste step out caused her to stumble back in surprise. Thoughts started to race for his reasoning to be there. She had already broken up with Adrien, isn't that what he wanted? "M. Agreste, I wasn't expecting you." Calm and collective, Marinette kept her emotions in check no matter how much anger she held for the man making Adrien's life miserable. Whatever he wanted, she would receive great joy turning him down.

"I stopped by the bakery, but it was closed." He paused, but when she didn't reply, he continued. "I'm here on official business."

"Whatever deal you want to make, don't. Adrien and I"-

"He is preciously the reason why I'm here."

The statement took Marinette by surprise, her mind dug into the worst-case scenario, was Adrien ok? She was jolted from the torture when M. Agreste abruptly handed her an envelope. She blinked a few times down at the contents in her hands unsure of what to do.

"Despite our earlier encounters, I wish you the best with this gift." Gabriel without another word retreated to his car it disappeared among the traffic.

Mind still spinning, she ran her finger along the crease prying it open. The contents stopped her breathing stealing the air from her lungs in a gasp. Her eyes jumped to the road, but the limo was long gone.

 _Why would he do this?_

They had been at each other's throats since their first interaction. Marinette couldn't imagine that M. Agreste would give people buildings especially to her. He didn't mention any conditions for her to keep the deed. And what did Adrien have to do with this?

She clutched the paper closer; she had her dream location on 7th. Even yet she owned it, and all the money she had squirreled away could pour into the interior design. She smiled to herself knowing where she would be spending her free time.

* * *

Adrien sighed looking up at the towering building in front of him. It had been a couple of weeks since he started, but at this point, the days blurred together until he couldn't tell which was which. His brain was going to explode from all the information he had obtained.

The only moments of peace Adrien had to look forward to having lunch at the station among his friends. Everywhere else became harder to breathe, like the universe enjoyed torturing him. He heard her voice or someone talking about the bakery on the street when passing.

Adrien had tried to win her back, but the voicemails started to stack up, and unread messages delivered a message; she didn't want to see him. The dumbest thing he did was steal her sketchbook, but did it count that he had kind intentions? He only wanted to see her succeed.

Adrien might as well have been numb as he entered the doors as he had for the last several times. The words of his secretary fell to the floor like dead flies as he walked past her and into his office. When the door closed, he rested against it eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"My, how stressed you look Adrikins, why don't you let old Chloe help."

Adrien didn't open his eyes hoping she would go away. His past mistakes were coming back to haunt him. When her fingers started to dance across his shoulder and arm, Adrien jerked away. "How did you..." his voice trailed off when he realized that the secretary probably lined up a red carpet for her to walk on. "I'm not taking a trip down memory lane. You know how I feel about Marinette."

"Her? I thought you two broke up just as I predicted you two would. Which leaves you wide open and available to"-

"I want you to leave." Adrien opened the door to prevent Chloe from being able to try anything else. "Now."

"But Adrikins?" She whined "you're my-"

"That's where you're wrong, Chlo. You're not my anything. I'm sick of you ragging on Marinette and keep making these passes. We were a long time ago and if no one told you it's over." He walked over to the phone and pressed a couple of buttons. "Security? I need you to escort Mlle. Chloe out of the building." He hung up the phone watching as Chloe's face melted in one of shock and hurt. "We're not teenagers anymore Chlo; it's time to grow up." Security showed up before he could get another word in. He expected thrashing and yelling, but instead, she went with them silently. Not before Adrien noticed a tear streaming down Chloe's face.

* * *

"What did you say?" He couldn't have heard correctly, because if she said what he thought she did, then things shifted between them once more. Not that He honestly minded if she was the one to say it first, it took the pressure off to find the perfect time for confessing how he felt. The living room had stolen his breath until she answered.

"Dinner will be five minutes late."

He watched as she shifted her weight and leaned on the counter. She couldn't look him in the eye causing him to doubt what he heard. "No, after that," his countered softly. Plagg was surprised that Tikki couldn't hear his heart pounding, since the sound that rang through his head.

"I love you."

There it was, the words he itched to hear. Plagg quickly found his mind among the clouds.

She _loved_ him.

She loved _him_.

He resisted the urge to freak out for fear of how she would take it. A small urge fought to ask the question of when she fell in love with him, but as insightful as the information would be, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter.

"You love me?" He repeated softly. As he stood up from his seat on the couch and took a couple of steps forward, he had the privilege to watch as her eyes widened, and mouth fell agape. "That's funny." A bemused smile played his lips as his feet drifted ever closer. Tikki's eyebrows knitted and face puff in a flash of anger and annoyance, but Plagg wasn't worried, Tikki wouldn't stay in this mood for long.

"And why is that so funny?" She rested her hands on her hips but didn't backtrack at all.

Plagg rested one hand on her hip and used his other to cup her face. He stared down into her eyes committing this moment to memory. "Because I just so happen to be in love with you too."

"Oh really?" Her eyes twinkled with the mischief that he had taught her. A couple more seconds of the prolonged inevitable wouldn't hurt anyone, especially in payback. "What are you going to do about it?" She could feel the heat of his breath dance across his skin. Plagg rested his forehead against hers, and Tikki was grateful for the counter holding her up.

"This," he whispered before capturing her lips in his own, their dinner was forgotten on the counter growing colder, but the apartment filled with love.

* * *

The last thing Marinette expected was a knock on her door after her hours, let alone the fact that it was Chloe. "We're closed."

"Five minutes?"

Marinette didn't know whether it was the pitiful look on her face or that she was a glutton for punishment, but she undid the lock and stood aside. "Five minutes."

Chloe walked silently past her and took a seat. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"For trying to break Adrien and me up or for assuming I was a stripper the first time you saw me."

"Look—This is hard enough for me to be here without you throwing snide rem—" Chloe repressed the fighting anger. "Adrien made it clear that if I wanted in him in my life, I needed to play nice, despite your current relationship status." She crossed a leg over and rested her palms in her lap. "I've come with a peace offering. I came with an explanation of what happened with Sophie."

"I don't care what happened."

"You're only fooling yourself if you think that. You can do that on your own time, but you won't convince me that you don't still have feelings for Adrien." Chloe leaned forward her chin rested on her hand. "And the tiny part of you is curious."

Marinette bit her lip. Adrien's relationship with an ex was none of her business, considering she bore the same title. It didn't stop Chloe from being right.

"Adrien met Sophie in his first year of college. They clicked instantly and despite my protests sent every minute together. At first, I thought it was a stunt to anger his father; then they got more serious after his mom passed away. One day Adrien showed me the ring and the next thing I knew they were engaged. Everything seemed to be looking up… until she left him standing at the altar on his wedding text with a single "I'm sorry" text. He was devastated. Rumors floated around for a while, the one he settled on was that Gabriel bribed her away, but no one really knows." She stood up and made a beeline downs the door hesitating the closer she got to the exit. "He went into a dark time after Sophie, I don't know what's going on between you two, but I don't want to see him back in that place again. Especially since by the sounds of it, helped snapped him out of the tail end of it the first time." Chloe reached for the door, but Marinette's voice stopped her.

"Chloe!" Marinette paused her lip rolled into lip tentatively. She would probably regret learning this information one day, but at the moment, she was grateful. "Thank you." Within a blink of her eye, Chloe disappeared.

* * *

Marinette cautiously approached the station. She didn't know what she was doing here, but after her talk with Chloe the previous night she couldn't stay away. If Adrien slipped into a depression because of her, Marinette would never forgive herself. She got directed inside, and her feet couldn't move fast enough. Everything made more sense that it had, he wasn't hiding anything, if the same thing had happened to her, she wouldn't have opened up about it as quickly either. To get that close to someone only for it to be ripped away would be torture.

There he was, among the trucks doing a check of some sort among the vehicles. Marinette's heart flipped inside her chest, it had been two months since she had ended things, but now it seemed like only a couple of days had passed. He was doing well from what she could tell, he was at work instead of curled up inside his apartment as she did in her spare time.

"Adrien?" Her words clogged in her throat despite her best efforts.

"Mari?" Adrien looked up from whatever minimal task he had on his clipboard, attention solely on her. "What are you doing here?" He hadn't expected to see her again, and here she was gift wrapped in front of him.

She had practiced this speech multiple times on her way here, only to freeze when the time came. "Chloe told me about Sophie." Marinette figured that the truth was the best place to start. "I figured we could talk."

"Why's that?" He scoffed. "Had a change of heart after hearing my sob story?"

Marinette spine crawled. She couldn't exactly deny it, but she did know she wanted him back; wasn't that what mattered? "It's not like that," she explained taking a few steps forward. A pit in her stomach twist with a feeling she couldn't shake.

"I don't need your pity, Marinette. What I needed was some kind of response to the countless messages I sent, you said it yourself, you don't trust me. Has that changed in the last two months that you haven't seen me?" He realizes he was on the verge of raising his voice to her, and instead of anger, the numbness spread through his system. He couldn't have feelings for the wonderful woman in front of him if he couldn't feel anything.

"Maybe it's for the better that it turned out like this; we were just two strangers who were never supposed to meet. Until a girl crashed at my table rambling about her cell phone." He half-heartedly chuckled to himself; his hand slid down the clipboard. "Wouldn't it be best if you went along with your life and I lived mine?" Seeing her this close, under the circumstances was too soon. When he glanced up in her direction, she was gone. He had hoped that she would fight him on this, but she gave him exactly what he asked for. A life without her.

* * *

Adrien allowed his feet to wander as they carried him through town. The blistering July heat made it insufferable to walk during the day, but the night provided shade from the sun. His mind pondered through the events of the day and the checklist of items to do the next, but all thinking stopped when his feet took the routine turn on to her street. They hadn't communicated since the fight. After he had a chance to cool down, it became all too evident that he had been harsher than needed to towards her, but it was too late to correct the situation. His pace slowed as he neared the window. Marinette was inside at the counter bagging the treats that belonged on the top of the counter. She looked well, or at least well enough judging by the distance. Her hair was pulled back in pigtails, and she was in complete concentration. Behind the window was the one person that he wanted but had screwed up so bad he'd be surprised if she ever wanted to talk to him again. Adrien suddenly felt a stare and realized Marinette had looked up and spotted him. Their gazes mingled for only seconds before Adrien forced himself to keep walking. It was better this way.

"Adrien."

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts just on time to see Tikki standing in the hanger carrying a small box. No doubt she was here for Plagg. As nice as it was to have Tikki around the station (she was how he would keep tabs to make sure Marinette was okay) it reminded him of the sickeningly sweet part of a relationship. "Oh hey, Tikki." He tried to keep his tone light-hearted, no need to weigh her down with his problems. "I'm sure Plagg's is the kitchen." It was his turn to cook; after all, Adrien could smell the Camembert already. How Tikki could put up with it was beyond him.

"I came here to talk to you." Tikki pushed her hair that had spilled from behind her ears back into place. She didn't know what suddenly caused this urge to talk to Adrien. Maybe it was the frustration that the two had been in denial for months on end, neither willing to make the first move. Marinette uses the excuse of her second store to throw herself into work to avoid the issue. She felt that she put herself on the line the last time; it was Adrien's turn. Tikki would be able to handle it if she didn't see much of the same behavior when she visited the station. Plagg filled in the details for when she wasn't present, but she knew Adrien was in the same shape. As much as she wanted to see her boyfriend, her best friend's happiness had to be her priority today.

"Oh," Adrien's jaw dropped as he shifted uncomfortably. This is it, where Tikki would tell him that this whole situation was his fault and he didn't deserve her back.

"Marinette is miserable, even if she won't admit it. She misses you."

Tikki's words caught him off guard, but it wasn't much longer before cynicism slipped in. "That's where you're wrong," he scoffed. "She would have answered my texts if she did." He had made a fool of himself getting his hopes up waiting for a reply that never came. Then when she did approach him, it was only because she felt sorry that Sophie ditched him at the altar.

"She wouldn't have kept the calendar if she if she didn't," Tikki shot back.

His knees lost the ability to hold him up without swaying. No—he should give up, his mind argued, it hurt too much. Adrien knew that Tikki wouldn't spill that kind of vulnerable information unless it was true. He sighed his heart winning the battle inside. "Do you really think I stand a chance?" He asked despite his heart begging him not to. If Tikki said yes, he would keep trying even if it was the minuscule of a chance.

"I know she was the happiest I've ever seen her when she was with you," she paused and smiled affectionately. "She still loves you, Adrien."

The words melted into Adrien's body relaxing him. She still loved him; Tikki wouldn't exaggerate, not with something like this. She had spent the most time with Marinette after the break up according to Plagg. "Do you think you could get me her calendar? I might have a plan."

"I'll see what I can do," she smirked as she lifted the lid "there's a croissant in there with your name on it."

* * *

The last four months boiled down to this moment — the grand opening. Marinette had advertised for the last several months to get the word out and by the looks of the crowd outside; it had paid off. Marinette turned back to the team. "Ready?" She met with a group of eager, and she knew they were.

Marinette opened the door allowing the outside public to swarm in. She thanked as many as she could for coming, she wanted to leave a good impression after all. As the room started to fill, she smiled to herself; maybe she'd be okay after all.

Marinette eyed the door of her office as her fingers pushed back some strategically placed paperwork to reveal a calendar that had been collecting dust, not that it needed to be used yet. She still a full four months. Her fingers traced Adrien's face plastered on the cover. She should have just thrown it out, the moment that she ended things, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, it lay buried at work until she could gather enough courage.

Today was no exception as she sunk further into her office chair giving her feet a well-deserved break from the crowd standing inside her bakery from the grand opening. Her eyes wandered back to the face staring at her on the cover.

She missed the way his laughter never failed to pick her mood up; the way he looked at her would leave goosebumps in their wake.

She missed the way that their conversations could go on for hours, but she never got bored, or the way he held her tight so that she would feel secure.

She missed him, more than she probably should.

"Marinette?"

The voice caught her off guard sending her into an immediate frenzy to cover the calendar while looking like a mad woman while she was at it.

"What is it?" She turned in time to see one of the new hires.

"Someone came through. They dropped this message off for you."

Marinette didn't think much of the message until she read it through once. And again.

 **I** **like** **the** **addition** **to** **the** **chocolate** **and** **peanut** **butter** **cupcake** **My** **Lady**. The **white** **chocolate** **makes** **it** **perfect**.

Her heart started to pound inside her chest, and her gaze jumped up so fast it caused her world to spin. "Who gave you this?" She **needed** an answer.

"A blond guy."

It had to be him. Marinette bounded out of her seat propelling herself to the front as fast as possibly able. It made the other new girl at the register jump, but she could apologize for her off behavior later. Her search came up, but she shook her head refusing to accept that reality and tried again. Her only clue turned out to be a napkin much like the other one she had received lay face up with a single word printed on it.

 **Sorry**.

"The guy wrote that after giving Allie his other note. He said you would get it, then left."

Marinette wouldn't lie, disappointment had kicked in. She didn't know if he meant that he was sorry that he left or sorry about their fight, either way, made a muddle of her feelings.

* * *

Plagg snuggled closer pressing a kiss to part of Tikki's exposed shoulder. "Did I mention how beautiful you are today?" His question earned him a laugh from his girlfriend followed by a tender kiss.

"Not when we were sleeping." Tikki allowed his arms to snake over hers and lace together. The motion brought them closer, and she hummed contently at the heat before the day's responsibilities sunk in. "I have to go open the bakery, Marinette is counting on me." She groaned wanting nothing more to stay next to Plagg all day. "And I have to backtrack to the apartment to get the key." She rolled away from Plagg's warmth and started the process of getting dressed.

"You know what would be easier?" He rolled to the edge of the bed and swung his feet off the side.

"What?" She asked through the fabric of her shirt.

"What if you didn't have to go back to your apartment?" The question hung in the air for a moment; Tikki was the one to break the silence. "Well, of course, that would be nicer, but the only way it would work is if I"— Tikki stopped abruptly when she realized what she was about to suggest. Not that she would mind moving in with Plagg, but she didn't want to force it on him; it was a huge commitment. Tikki felt Plagg's hands grip at her hips, and she froze.

"If you what, Cookie?" He looked up at her hoping that they were on the same wavelength.

"Move in with you." Her voice was small unsure of how he would react. It was a massive step between them to share space; Tikki didn't want to freak him out. She watched his eyes begin to dance with mischief and love.

"I think I like the sound of that." His hands gripped her gently, and he offered a squeeze of support.

"Really? Because I know it's a lot and"—

She started to ramble, but he quickly leaned in and captured her lips. The kisses began teasingly, but Plagg guided her back to bed without much protest. He had a feeling that Tikki would be late to the bakery.

* * *

Adrien found himself sitting in a chair eyes wandering back to the office door. Without any warning, Gabriel had scheduled an appointment without any notes to what it was pertaining. He had done anything he would follow his father's instructions to the letter; there was no way he could be at the end of a lecture as soon as he entered that office.

"M. Agreste, your father is ready for you." A chill rippled over his skin as he breathed in and stood to his feet. He might as well get this over with.

Adrien entered the room, immediately eyed his father and the piece of paper that his hands kept fidgeting.

"Adrien, please, take a seat."

He couldn't quite place it; there was something different about his father, something that he couldn't put his finger on. "Am I in trouble?" He couldn't help asking, he'd rather rip off the band-aid if he were going to be lectured for the next half hour.

"Hmm, no nothing like that," Gabriel replied. "This is something that I've wanted to address for a while. I noticed that you haven't been happy."

His father was concerned about his happiness all of a sudden? Why? Was he going to take away the bakery from Marinette because he wasn't enjoying working there? "Happy?" he parroted hoping he was wrong.

"I've been watching you over the last couple months, and you hardly smile, talk with co-workers, space out during staff meetings."

"I'll do better,"

"I've been considering your contract."

"My contract?" He sputtered, what did that have to do with anything?

Gabriel picked up the pieces of paper off his desk. In one swift moment, it ripped in two. There was amusement in watching his son's jaw drop.

"You—You—that's my contract; I don't understand."

"I was wrong, Adrien. After your mother died, I wanted nothing more to keep you within my grasp, make sure that you didn't get hurt. I know I wasn't supportive of you and Sophie, but I knew she had an agenda. My oversight continued when I kept pushing potential suitors in front of you. I just wanted to have someone like I had your mother." He took a moment to collect himself, just mentioning her name bought up painful memories. "You don't have to continue your time here; you are free to go. All I ask is while you're exploring the world, don't forget me." Gabriel didn't have a chance to continue his speech, Adrien cut him off with a tight hug. "And Adrien," Gabriel added, "If you love her, go after her. You'll only find a girl like Marinette once."

* * *

To say that Marinette was in a hurry would be an understatement. With the new store it brought in new business, and she was going to be late to meet with them if she didn't hurry. With the construction, it was faster to make a run for it. Her hand clutched a bag that filled with different samples to give them. If she weren't so concerned with figuring out the right direction she was going, she would have paid more attention before running dead smack into a body; her bag dropped to the ground.

"I'm so sorry; I must not have watched where I…" The universe hated her because in front of her stood one Adrien Agreste. "was going," she finished all bravado wavered out of her voice. She hadn't seen him except for a ghost of him two months ago through her bakery window. He looked better than she remembered, and yet dark circles still lingered underneath his eyes.

"Mar—" He breathed out. "It's good to see you." Neither knew how to address the other in this situation. She looked good, strong, confident; he expected nothing less from a successful baker with multiple locations. He seemed to spiral with his thoughts after their fight, while she was thriving. It only ripped his heart further.

"You too." With so much left unsaid, Marinette was unsure how should act, she couldn't treat him like a stranger. What could she say to the man that her mind was screaming a million and one things in her mind?

"Your bag!" He exclaimed immediately crouched to try and help salvage anything he could. He could barely think straight with the information that Marinette might still savage feelings for him; it made this conversation ten times harder. "I hope it's ok," He mentally kicked himself the for sounding so stupid. What could he do for broken sponge cake?

"Yeah, I'm heading to a tasting with a new prospective client." She cradled the bag close to her. Her words reminded her that she needed to meet with the client, but she didn't want to go anywhere. They said the absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it had been almost six months since the break-up, four from their fight, and she found the time to miss him in between customers or the long colder nights with the little warm her comforter could provide.

"The new bakery, it looks like it's doing well."

Strictly business, heaven forbid they talk about the emotions they were feeling, what they should do or anything besides spreadsheets. "You should stop by the bakery—again I mean. Since I missed you the first time," she replied trying to shift the conversation once more. That day in the bakery still made her mind dizzy with emotions she dared not name until she was ready.

"Maybe."

It was a glimmer of hope, but for her heart's sake, Marinette didn't allow it to mean what she hoped it would.

"I don't want to be the reason that you're to be late to meet your client." Adrien shuffled his feet shoving his hands in his pocket.

"Oh, yeah," disappointment laced through her words as she shifted her weight. "I should probably get going." Her heart sunk further in her chest. Marinette knew she would need a day of self-therapy to nurse how she was feeling. "Goodbye, for now, I guess."

"Bye, Marinette."

She walked past him her head circled back to get one last glance. His name still clung to her tongue, and he didn't leave her mind for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Why are our friends so stubborn?" Tikki groaned dropping her head to Plagg's shoulder. "Marinette saw Adrien today."

"If the encounter was anything like what Adrien told me, then we have two highly stubborn individuals on our hands. Neither one will admit that they still have feelings."

"What if we make them?"

Plagg looked down at his girlfriend and instantly saw her wheels turning. Sometimes she terrified him in the best possible way. "And what did you have in mind, lock them in a closet together until they confess?"

"It won't come to that," she dismissed the idea with a wave of a hand. "Adrien still loves Marinette, right?"

"Painfully so," he answered with a half cringe.

"And so is Marinette, so we just need to remind them why they fell for each other where it all began."

Plagg's eyes widen with realization. "A bait and switch."

"Once they're in a room together then they'll have to talk. It won't be long until one of them confess."

"Aren't you forgetting, they ran into each other a couple of days ago, and neither one let that little detail slip."

"Marinette had a client meeting; it wasn't like she had tons of free time. Besides, because of Adrien, she was late to meet them. She wanted to stay and keep talking."

"Which means," his voice trailed off before he could finish.

"Which means that if that wasn't enough, this time I have a secret weapon."

"What secret weapon?" This was the first time hearing about anything of the sort.

"If I told you," she reached out and gently tapped his nose, "then it wouldn't be a secret."

"My girlfriend is an evil genius mastermind."

"And you love me for it," She pecked his lips playfully.

"So, what is my part in your scheme?"

"All you need to do is make plans with Adrien to go to Hollybelly and then send a text that something came up, you can't make it. I'll play my part and tell Marinette I'll meet her then I'll ditch. They'll see each other, talk and everything will be right again."

"Sounds simple enough," he mused, although there was no guarantee that the two would end up talking. Worst case scenario they would sit in silence enjoying their awkward breakfast and then leave. "But what if they don't talk and ruin your plan?"

"Oh, that's easy," Tikki replied the idea not even phase her. "We would go to plan B."

Plagg started to wonder how many letters of the alphabet were sacrificed for this mission. "What's plan B?"

A wicked smirk jumped to her lips, "We lock them in a closet until they get over themselves."

Being in a relationship with Tikki something surprised him ways he never expected, but as her eyes danced with excitement towards him, Plagg knew, he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"Are you ready for breakfast tomorrow morning?"

Marinette eyed her friend; she was extra chipper this evening. She wondered if Plagg had any special plans for Tikki that she wasn't disclosing.

"Yes, but I don't see why we couldn't just eat breakfast here, I could make us something and"-

"Because its a celebration Marinette, for opening the second bakery? I don't want you to have to do any work. I was thinking Hollybelly at 9 am tomorrow, my treat."

Marinette bit her lip. The last time she went, there was her first blind date with Adrien. She did enjoy the food, and if Tikki was there with her, it didn't matter if Adrien was sitting at a table beside her. She would be fine.

"Okay," Marinette replied, "I'll be there."

"Do you want any help finishing mopping?" Tikki asked glancing down at the half-finished floor.

"I'll be alright. Go home and enjoy the rest of your night." Marinette grabbed her phone off the table placed the info in her calendar. When she was sure her phone was safe on the table, the mop water caught her attention. It looked too dark for her liking the best thing to do would be to change it out. She walked down to the closet and pulled out the floor cleaner. On the way to grab the mop bucket, something in her office caught her eye. Tikki had found her calendar and had put it up despite having a couple of months to go. Upon further inspection, she noticed something scribbled in what looked like Adrien's hand.

 _I_ _couldn't_ _believe_ _how_ _lucky_ _I_ _was_ _for_ _you_ _to_ _sit_ _at_ _my_ _table._

She started to rifle through each month each one had similar heartfelt sayings. How did she not notice them before?

The constant weight from the cleaner reminded her that there was work to be done, but she didn't want to go. In the end, duties won out, but her mind was still on her newfound discovery. So much so, that she didn't anticipate that when she swung her arm to place the cleaner on the table, it knocked her cellphone... straight into the mop water. A string of curses escaped her lips as she dug for the submerged phone. When she did pull it out, the screen wouldn't turn on.

Rice. She needed rice. The only problem was that there wasn't any in the bakery and the nearby stores would be closing any minute. She did have some at home. She sighed to herself; the floors would have to wait.

* * *

Marinette's eyes shot open. She glanced at her clock, 8:45. The restaurant was at least 15 minutes away. Hopefully, Tikki wouldn't mind her being a little late. She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. Clothes slipped on without a second thought. She brushed through her hair quickly before throwing it up in a bun. After Marinette thought that she looked decent with her loose red dress and black sweater she raced over to the rice bowl that was by her bedside. The phone was dug out in a snap, but it still didn't turn on. She was running out of time; she was already going to be late. Marinette threw her broken phone into her purse and ran out the door.

She should have seen this coming if she had things would have turned out so differently.

She wouldn't have pushed past the hostess in her rushed state.

She wouldn't have raced up to the first red-headed woman she saw and blurted out an apology. Only to realize the woman was definitely not Tikki causing evidence of embarrassment to run rampant across her cheeks.

But then again, because the chain of events folded, then she wouldn't have turned at the sound of laughter to see one Adrien Agreste at a table.

"What happened to your phone this time?" He asked bemusement filled all his features.

"Bucket of mop water." She admitted glancing hesitantly over at the hostess eyeing her for making a scene. "Can I sit here, just until Tikki arrives. She must be running late too. We were supposed to meet up at 9." The response earned more laughter causing her eyebrow to narrow.

"Do you know what day it is?"

What a ridiculous question, she may be out of it, but that that much. "It's Sunday,"

"It's daylight savings? Did you reset your clocks? I'd bet that your 45 minutes early for your breakfast."

Daylight savings time, how could she be that unlucky. Sure, she had working clocks, but that only worked if she reset them. "I forgot..." Her voice trailed off as her cheeks lit up once more.

Adrien's phone buzzed and his instantly his smile faltered. "Uh—I don't think Tikki is coming."

"Why not?" She seemed dead set on coming to this breakfast in the first place; she picked out the restaurant and everything.

"Because Tikki just texted me and told me to enjoy my breakfast."

The information washed over her until it clicked, "this was a setup."

"It appears that way."

"I don't want to ruin your breakfast," Marinette stood up, "I should go"—

"No!" Adrien reached out and placed his hand on hers, "please, stay."

It was enough to coax her to sit back down. "I wanted to apologize, for everything. And I—I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we ran into each other last month. I knew how I felt, and I was just afraid that I would get hurt again."

Marinette's eyes shifted to the table. Adrien's apology was heartfelt, she believed him, but their relationship didn't crumb just because of him.

"I'm sorry too; I should have heard you out. If I was more open—" Marinette knew what she wanted to say, she had wanted the same thing for the past couple of months. "But despite our issues in the past, I want to try again. I don't care if we were never meant to meet, or if I fried my phone. I still love you."

"I haven't stopped thinking about you for months." The confession brought smiles to both their faces. "I want to give us a second shot too," he reached over, squeezed her hand and didn't let go until the food was brought. The meal blurred together with laughter and conversations as the two slipped naturally back into their usual banter.

Once the meal concluded, Adrien hurried his way around the table and offered her a hand up from her chair. The second they were level he lowered his head and closed the gap between them. Her lips were soft and enticing. If it wasn't for the fact that he remembered they were in a restaurant, he might have accidentally given the people around them a show. "I have wanted to do that since you ran into the room," he confessed in her ear after they parted. He noticed some glares and quickly threw some money on the table.

"Let's get out of here." Marinette smiles before lacing her hand with his.

The moment they exited the restaurant he stole another kiss enjoying his ability to do so. "Where to now, M'lady?"

"Anywhere," she giggled, "everywhere, as long as I'm with you." As they strolled down the street, she leaned her head on his shoulder. They had finally learned that they didn't have to waste any more time to be happy. How fitting was it that their first purchase together was a new phone and a self-changing alarm clock.


	13. Chapter 13 Epilogue

"Adrien you better be up and getting ready within 5 minutes, I'm not going to be late to the wedding because my fiancé is too attached to his comforter."

Marinette left her breakfast on the stove and ventured through the space she knew well until she reached their bedroom. True to form Adrien was still curled up among the sheets.  
"Adrien," she cooed lovingly. "Did you hear me?" She ran her fingers over the edge of his face pushing the hair out his face. "It's time to get up." She was immediately met with a groan. It seemed that he needed extra motivation to get out of bed. She leaned in and placed a series of kisses up his jawline but avoided his mouth. It wasn't long before her fiancé grew restless and with a quick fluid motion he scooped her up over him, and she curled next to him. The second their eyes locked everything else faded away. They had each other. "You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" She received a low hum closer to a purr than anything else. "In fact, I bet you wish we could stay this way all way don't you?" She began to create outlines of shapes on his bare chest.

"If you insist, you wish is my command." His eyes followed her fingers as they danced across his flesh.

"My wish?" She pulled back from his warmth and looked down at her almost-husband in the bed next to her. "No, that's not my wish. If you want to know what I want, it's-" She leaned close and started whispering in his ear. The more she said, the more she could feel his body go rigid under her touch. When she finished, she glanced Adrien once over proud of the look that she could elicit. "But that can only happen after the wedding."

"I'll be ready in 3," he promised quickly energy running its course through his body. However, the sudden movement caused him to wince, "make that 5."

Marinette smiles and kisses his cheek lightly. "Breakfast will be waiting, as will I." With a hop, skip and a jump She was out the door headed back to the kitchen.

Adrien rested his head back down eyes fluttering closed for only a moment. Marinette would be the death of him in the best way possible, and he loved every minute of it.

Marinette frantically searched for her keys inside her purse. She was sure she grabbed the keys, and yet, here she was, standing on the outside of her bakery looking like a mad woman to strangers passing by. All because she didn't want to experience the wrath of a Tikki.

When the two announced their engagement almost ten months ago, Marinette was more than thrilled, even more so when Tikki asked her to be her maid of honor. Everything after that was a balancing act, between the bakeries, helping to plan the wedding, and spending time with Adrien. He had been several kinds of helpful, mostly because he was also Plagg's best man.

Things had changed once more when two months ago Adrien proposed, and she said yes. With all the stress that she watched Tikki endure, she had considered eloping several times, but instead, they would have a small ceremony in May which only gave her five months to prepare. Truthfully, she happily counted down the days until she was Marinette Agreste. Adrien was all she wanted and more.

"Mar?"

Her gaze snapped up to Adrien dangling the keys from his finger.

"You asked me to hold them, remember?"

"Thank you." She raised herself on her tiptoes and gave a peck stealing the keys in the process. "What would I do without you?" Marinette swiftly made her way to the door to unlock it. "I was so distracted this morning making sure I didn't forget anything." The click of the lock made her smile, but before she could venture inside, a pair of arms slithered around her waist.

"I'm sure not all your distractions were all bad."

Marinette smiled as he placed a kiss on the back of her neck. "I suppose my cuddle session with Chat this morning wasn't all that bad."

"When were you cuddling with him?"

"This morning while you were snoring beside me." She laughed as she heard something like 'traitorous cat' mumbled into her skin. It wouldn't be long before the rest of what she said sunk in.

"Wait a second; I do not snore!"

"Adrien, I love you, but yes you do." She wiggled her way out his grasp and wormed her way inside the store.

Typically, she would have Tikki to help deliver large cakes to events, but considering it was her wedding, Marinette told her not to worry. Adrien was there so she could make sure that he was on time to the wedding, but also because she wouldn't be able to carry it by herself. If anything happened to the cake, she would crumble to the floor without a second thought; it was one of her best ones yet.

"She's going to love it; you really outdid yourself."

"You're only saying that because you help taste test the fillings," she teased.

"And every single option was absolutely delicious." He pecked her cheek and moved to help her pick up the cake. "We make an incredible team."

"That we do. Are you ready to get to a wedding?" Marinette's grin was unmistakable.

"Not as ready as I am for when you walk down the aisle."

Marinette's warmth spread through her chest fighting the butterflies working up a frenzy in her stomach. She couldn't wait for that day either, but if she wanted to be the best maid of honor she could she had to remain focused. "Ready? on three." Effortlessly the two walked the cake to the car and started the drive, but before too long, their hands found each other both thinking about what their day would be like in just a few short months.

* * *

"To Tikki's big day," the glasses clinked among the bridesmaids before Marinette partook in her glass of champagne. After all of her freakouts that morning of the things that could go wrong, she was finally dressed with her hair and makeup done. She could finally breathe.

"I can't believe that today has finally come." Tikki eyed her glass a soft smile played her lips. "And this day couldn't be possible without your help, thank you so much, M."

Marinette beamed back a smile. "Plagg makes you happy, how can we not celebrate with you?" She pushed back a loose strand of Tikki's hair, "He won't know what to do when he sees you, that dress is perfect."

A blush rose on the bride's cheeks as her hands patted down her dress. She had found the dress a small boutique and knew the moments she tried it on that it was the perfect dress for her.

"Are you nervous?" Alya cut in placing her alcohol down on the table in from of her. Over the last year she had become closer with Tikki, and the more she hung out with the red-head, the more she realized they had in common; not to mention her pastry skills matched Mari's.

"No," Tikki replied, "This feels right. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. We complement each other and are stronger together. When I'm with him, I feel like take on the world, and win."

"Are you okay, Alya. You haven't touched your drink." Marinette watched her friend fidget in her seat eyes glued to her drink.

"There's something I haven't told you guys yet."

"And that is?"

"I can't." Alya seemed almost elated by the fact.

"You can't," Marinette repeated, face scrunched in confusion. "But why?" Any more words died on her tongue as she watched Alya subtly place her hand on her stomach. "You're—you're,"

"I haven't told Nino yet. I found out about a couple of days ago." The room burst with giggles and screams as the girls joined together in a group hug.

"I'm so happy for you."

"I didn't want to spoil your big day, so I was going to wait until after the wedding to share the news."

Tikki grabbed her hand and gave a squeeze. "You didn't spoil anything, if anything, you made my day even more special."

Marinette glanced down at her phone; time was slipping away. "We need to get in our places soon." Yes, it was a bride's right to be late if needed, but she had a guess that wasn't the case.

"I wonder if Plagg is freaking out by now."

Alya snorted, "are you kidding me? The boys are probably lounging around waiting for the ceremony to start."

* * *

"Where are the rings? I know I left them right there!" The whole room was in a frenzy scouring every nook and cranny. Tikki would kill him if they didn't find them. It was just his luck that he sent Adrien on an errand right before he realized the rings disappeared. Time was counting down until the ceremony started and the thought that kept running through his head: I need a drink.  
It wasn't as if he was dreading the next several hours; he couldn't wait to celebrate with friends and family. Plagg was terrified that he'll mess up somewhere and ruin the day they had been planning for almost a year.

Right on time, his best man walked into the room. "Adrien! Thank God," he clutched the edges of his suit. "Have you seen the rings?"

When met with a laugh his body tensed. This was not the time for Adrien to be making fun of him. "I fail to see how this is amusing," he growled.

"Dude, you need to relax. You gave me the rings like an hour ago." Adrien dug through his pocket and pulled out the pair. "See, they're safe and sound." Adrien places his hand on Plagg's shoulder. "Are you okay? I've been told it's okay to be nervous."

"It's just— I'm marrying Tikki."

Adrien's trademark smirk appeared, "Yeah, what did you think would happen when you asked her to marry you?"

"Not like that— she's so amazing you know? And I don't want to screw it up."

"Give yourself some credit Plagg. Yes, Tikki is amazing, but so are you. I can't begin to tell you where my life would be if you hadn't stepped in. I'm honored to stand by your side. I know that you two will love each other no matter what. You are going to be just fine."

As his words sunk in, Plagg's ability to breathe became easier; Adrien was right. They had made it this far and not crumbled; in their marriage, they would only be stronger. He could do this; he straightened his jacket and tie. "Alright, let's get in position. We have a wedding to attend."

* * *

Marinette watched as Alya was the first to head down the aisle with the music. The red dress looked fantastic on her, bringing out her skin tone. She saw Alya make eyes at Nino and couldn't help but smile. They would make great parents, that she had no doubt. It meant that she could come around and spoil the child as Auntie Mari. She wanted that with Adrien one day, two to three kids if she had her way. Daydreams of what Adrien would be like as a father teased her imagination, so much so that she almost missed her cue to start walking.

She recognized a good majority of the guests, between the mutual friends that she and Tikki shared to Plagg and Adrien's coworkers from the station. Plagg was standing front and center waiting for Tikki to make her grand entrance, and if Marinette wasn't mistaken, his eyes were starting to glisten. When she allowed her eyes to jump over to Adrien, she almost tripped in mid-walk. He looked incredible in his suit; she couldn't believe that he was the same guy who struggled to get out of bed this morning. He mouthed 'you look beautiful' and winked. If one thing was for sure, he was her goofball. Marinette hit her mark without a single klutzy episode. The music signaling the bride caused the people to stand, their gaze glued to the back door.

It was time.

Tikki gripped her flowers tighter, the knots she had ignored finally catching up to her. She was about to marry and commit her life to another for the rest of her life. It would be easy to let her nerves reduce herself to a pile of nerves, then Plagg's voice rang through her head.

"To remind myself, to never let you crumble."

And he had kept his promise. Every important moment he was there, cheering her on, and she couldn't be more grateful. They still had their normal disagreements like any other couple, but she never once questioned his loyalty to her. Now as she awaited her time to walk down the aisle, Tikki smiles at the thought that she loved him far greater than he would ever realize.

"Ready to go?"

A voice cut through her emotions she looked down at the extended arm. "Thank you for doing this M. Fu. You didn't have to."

"Nonsense, I have been a friend of your family for years, since your own father couldn't be here, it is an honor to be able to give you away." He guided her hand to rest on his arm. "Plagg is indeed a lucky man."

Tikki smiled softly to herself a new burst of warmth spreading once more. "And yet, I'm the lucky one."

A good majority of what came next melded together in a blur. She was walked down the aisle, her gaze locked to the kindest green eyes overflowing with love and tenderness. When he started to cry, tears formed in her eyes too, but the way his thumb grazed her hand kept her steady.

As Marinette watched one of her best friends get married, it made her realize how much she was a sucker at weddings. Sure, the marriage was the carrying out of the promises that they made today, but the way Tikki was looking at Plagg melted her heart. The minister said some touching words as the ceremony began. Marinette's focus shifted back and forth between the bride and Adrien until it came time for Tikki's vows.

"It is the greatest desire of my heart to be faithful to you and to love you always. I'll strive to meet your every need, and desire to help in any way I can whether it be to listen to you, encourage you, comfort you or stand by your sides in whatever faces us in the years to come. I will respect you, honor you, cherish you. You bring so much love, joy, and light to my world. I promise to give all that I am and all that I have to you."

Marinette was sure she ruined part of makeup when tears started to fall, she could care less. The vow was inspiring and the man who stood on the other side of Plagg she loved him with her heart, body, and soul. The anticipation for becoming his wife ran through her veins. This moment that was a long time coming, and in a short while, would finally be here.

It was a privilege to stand there next to Plagg and be his best man. Adrien delivered the rings on cue, but afterward, his eyes wandered back to the love of his life. The way she looked in that dress took his breath away, and after the reception, Adrien fully intended to return the favor, especially with the way she teased him that morning.

"Cookie, today, I make a promise to stay by your side," he started.  
Adrien turned his attention to the groom as was his responsibility, but the words spoken sparked what he would promise Marinette in five short months.  
"In sickness and in health, in joy and sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals. I want to laugh with you and cry with you as well as grow old with you. I always want to be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both may live."

Adrien wanted to promise all these things and more, she deserved the moon if she desired it. He burst out in hollers of excitement when Plagg was ordered to kiss his bride. His eyes locked as they both smiled.

It would only be a matter of time.


End file.
